Bishies Without Shirts
by That Nanda
Summary: What happens when you pit two youkai brothers against each other in a small, modern Tokyo shrine? A lot of stuff is going to get broken, and some secrets will be revealed... Complete.
1. Down the Well

Bishies without shirts, or the day Inuyasha & Sesshomaru lost theirs! 

By Kira & Nanda 

Chapter one: Down the Well

Sesshomaru slowly opened his eyes and found himself face to face with his brother's wench. The fact that he was lying on top of her didn't register in his brain until she muttered a "Mind if you get off me now?" He continued to look at her like he had no clue what she was talking about because as far as he was concerned they were standing around talking about herbal remedies from her village. "That's right…" his fuzzy brain told him, "Rin-chan is ill."

"Didn't you hear me Sesshomaru?! I said get off me NOW!!!!" She shouted in his ear and he winced which made him wince again at the raging headache he had. 

"Hunh?!" He looked at her and gave her a look that could have been at home on Inuyasha's face. "Why are you shouting at me? And watch what you're doing before we fall down that blasted well."

"You're a bit late for that one, Mister!" By now Kagome had managed to get her hands under him and she shoved with all her might. Since Sesshomaru was in fact attempting to get off her it turned out easier than she thought. 

"What are you talking about wench?" Sesshomaru had closed his eyes as he rolled off her and he left them that way. In fact he loved the way it calmed the spinning in his head. "Don't tell me we fell in…. then where's that stupid brother of mine? Shouldn't he be here by now to ….protect you?" He tried to laugh but it sounded more like a cough, and besides he wasn't one for laughing. 

"I think we're not in Kansas anymore." She quoted from a movie she watched with her mom last time she was home. "Let's get out of here. Come!" she held out her hand and waited for him to take it. "Come on you can't lie here forever! Let's go!" Kagome reached down and took his hand. It took her a few minutes before she managed to get him to focus enough for him to help. Then she shoved him at the ladder that her Grandfather had built for her to climb back up with. Ten minutes later along with much pushing and shoving of his butt, as she was afraid at times that he'd sit back down on her head, they were out. 

"Just where the hell are we wench?" 

"My house, if you must know."

"You live in the well?" This time he was able to force a laugh out. "No wonder my stupid brother likes you… you're as dumb as he is! Lives in a well…" He laughed some more until the bright summer sunshine made him get sick all over himself. 

"Great! This is like soooo grooooosssss!!! I'm gonna kill Inuyasha for this!" she thought. "Come on Sesshomaru you need to get cleaned up." She half walked; half dragged him over to her house. Thankfully no one was there except her mom. She shuddered at the thought of explaining what she was doing there with Sesshomaru instead of Inuyasha, especially to her brother. "Who knows what Inuyasha's told him about Sesshomaru?" she thought. Soon they were inside and greeted by her mom, who was surprised to see her. 

"Kagome dear, what's wrong with your friend?"

"Ummm… he got hurt and ummm…icky?" she groaned as her mother waited patiently for her to fully explain. Taking a deep breath as they both dragged Sesshomaru into the living room, she explained. 

"Well… he can't stay like this. Come help me get him out of…his …well clothes?" Higarashi-san said. The two of them giggled as they struggled to remove Sesshomaru's icked out clothes. Then Higarashi-san went and washed them as best she could before hanging them out to dry. She returned with a bowl of water and a cloth. Sitting down next to him, she washed his face and then rinsing it out she laid the wet cloth on his head. 

"Poor thing is handicapped… I wonder how he lost an arm… You know Kagome; I wish you would be careful back there." She turned and said the last part out loud to her daughter. Kagome sighed and assured her mom, everything was fine as long as Inuyasha was around. "Besides he was the one who cut off Sesshomaru's arm in the first place….so you don't have to worry! That doesn't sound like it does it?"

"No it doesn't… Dear why would two brothers fight like that anyway?" So Kagome told her. 

Meanwhile back in the Feudal Era, Inuyasha was standing around puzzled as to where Kagome and his brother went. It happened so quickly and he was so sure Sesshomaru was out to harm her in order to get him to give up the Tetsusaiga that at first he didn't realize they fell down the well. Looking in he was shocked not to find them both there. "Maybe he went back to Kagome's time? Oh hell!!!! If he did there's no telling what crap he'd pull over there!" Inuyasha thought as he jumped in after them. "I mean I was all set to save her and all and the stupid wench had to go off with my even stupider brother!"

Reaching Kagome's time he caught both their scents and followed them to the house. He was positive she was injured and judging by the mess he narrowly escaped stepping in, he was sure she was injured badly! "I'm coming Kagome! Hold on I'll save you!" Tetsusaiga in hand he burst in the house and ran to the living room. 

"Oh hello Inuyasha! It's so nice to see you again. How come you never told us you have a brother?"

"Hunh?" He couldn't believe what he saw; for instead of a scene of death and destruction, he was greeted by the sight of Higarashi-san fussing over his sleeping brother. 

"Why don't you be a good boy and go see what's keeping Kagome in the kitchen. Tell I said to hurry up with that cold water. Thank you! Now run along" She motioned with her hand as if to push him along. Inuyasha shrugged and went in search of Kagome. That was how he too found himself shirtless. For as he went into the kitchen, Kagome was on her way out; they collided with most of the cold water falling on him as they hit the floor. Growling at her something about being a "stupid wench" and she growling back "sit boy!" they glared at each other before getting up. Well Kagome was up first and she went and refilled the bowl before leaving. Pausing just long enough to tell him to get out of his wet things before he caught a cold, she went back to her mother. Grumbling to himself, Inuyasha removed his wet shirt and went back to the living room. 

"Oh my! We can't have you wandering around like that; can we?" Higarashi-san teased as she exchanged looks with her daughter. "Kagome do you think you two can behave and look out for What's his name? Sessho-kun for me while I go shopping and get them something to wear as I'm expecting some of my friends to stop by for a girls' night out. I'm serving dinner here and then we're going out to the movies. I'll be back in an hour. Ok? Bye!"

"Bye Mama!" Kagome said as she followed her mother out. "Try to get back soon, please!"

"I'll try my best Dear. Now go back inside." With that Higarashi-san left and Kagome walked back in. She shook her head at the sight of the two shirtless brothers and thought about what her friends would say if they knew. "I can just hear Eri now, asking me if I'm now dating the two of them and Ayumi wondering if I'm breaking up with Hojo in favor of the two of them, or Yuka going maybe I'd like to date the three of them… at the same time!" She sighed and smiled at Inuyasha as he looked at her. 


	2. Murphy's Law

Chapter 2: Murphy's Law 

"Your mother is a very foolish woman." Sesshoumaru hissed from his prone position on the couch. "How dare she call me 'Sessho-kun?'" 

"She's just being a mom." Kagome said weakly, trying to make the best of an extremely awkward situation. The bishie brothers ignored her, staring at each other with obvious loathing.

"Why is he half-naked?" Inuyasha demanded. 

"You're not wearing much, either!" Kagome said defensively.

"But I know why I'M half dressed, why is HE half dressed!" he growled, bristling.

"Can't you smell it?" Kagome said softly, trying not to upset or embarrass the monster resting on her sofa. "He was sick." Inuyasha's eyes lit up at this news.

"Sick, huh? Well that certainly puts you at a disadvantage, doesn't it Sesshoumaru?" he mocked, cracking his knuckles as he walked toward the couch.

"Don't be absurd." Sesshoumaru sneered. "If I really wanted to, I could be holding your female's heart in my teeth within seconds, so don't try to be cute."

"Hey! I've been helping you!" Kagome cried, whirling around to glare at Sesshoumaru. 

"And I, in return, haven't slaughtered you yet, woman, so keep a civil tongue in your head!" he said poisonously, then moaned and turned away, finding the effort that it took to be frightening painfully exhausting. 

"What did you want with me anyway?" Kagome asked hesitantly.

"My wants are my own concern." Sesshoumaru said quietly. "But I came to you because I have heard that you possess strong medicines and healing poultices that are unlike any known, even to physicians. It was in this capacity that I sought you." 

"Why would a youkai ask a human for help? You don't seem THAT ill to me." Kagome said softly.

"Then perhaps you are not as stupid as you seem." Sesshoumaru said thoughtfully. "You may prove a credit to my idiot brother after all."

"Thank you?" Kagome said uncertainly, not knowing whether to be offended or not. For his part, Inuyasha growled in the back of his throat, but for once kept his mouth shut and let the drama play out. 

"The medicines I seek are not for me, but for a… human." Sesshoumaru admitted quietly. Inuyasha gaped at his older brother, awestruck by this revelation, but Kagome didn't seem at all surprised.

"It's for that little girl, isn't it?" she said.

"What do you know of Rin?" Sesshoumaru said, trying to hide his amazement.

"I've seen her before. She always seems to be just on the edge of our encounters, where no one would be likely to notice her. But I have." Kagome admitted.

"A HUMAN?!" Inuyasha roared. "You've got a human following you around? After you tortured me for having a human mother, and mocked and insulted me for being with Kagome! Not to mention all the times you tried to KILL her, and NOW-" 

"Is she very ill?" Kagome said loudly, interrupting Inuyasha's diatribe. If they were going to be stuck together for awhile, then it was in everyone's best interest to keep the peace. 

"She was for a day or so, but now her entire body has broken out in tiny, red bumps, and all she does is scratch and complain about the itching. I came to you to get a healing poultice." Sesshoumaru explained. 

"Uh-oh." Kagome said seriously. "It sounds like the chicken pocks!"

"Feh! You're making that up!" Inuyasha snorted.

"No I'm not!" Kagome said, indignantly. "It's a real disease that affects little kids and adults sometimes, too. Most people get it when they're young, though, and then it isn't very serious. I've had it myself, when I was nine!" 

"Never heard of such a thing!" Inuyasha said disparagingly.

"I've certainly never seen anything like it before." Sesshoumaru admitted.

"Of course you haven't!" Kagome sighed, exasperated. "You're youkai! It's a HUMAN disease! Besides, before today, I'd have sworn that neither of you could even get so much as a cold, let alone-"

"Speaking of which…" Sesshoumaru interrupted. "It's very cold in here all of a sudden."

"What are you, stupid?" Inuyasha grumbled. "It's stifling in here!"

"It's neither." Kagome said, suddenly becoming concerned. She walked over to Inuyasha and touched his forehead with the back of her hand. 

"You're very warm," she said, adding quickly "even for you!" Then she walked over to the couch and touched Sesshoumaru's shoulder.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "You're burning up!" She was about to step away and get another cold compress for Sesshoumaru's forehead, when she noticed something unusual on his chest. It was a tiny, angry red dot. 

"Oh dear…" Kagome said softly, inspecting the rest of him. There were more of them, scattered across his torso. Most were tiny and almost invisible to the naked eye, but some of them seemed to be getting bigger. 

"Kagome," Inuyasha called suddenly from the other side of the room, "my back itches!" She looked over at the half-naked hanyou, who was standing in the doorway, making an irritated face and rubbing his back up and down against the doorjamb. 

"Oh no…" she said quietly. She desperately searched her mind for Chicken pox home remedies. 

"Ok." she said finally. "Sesshoumaru, I'll be right back with a blanket, ginger ale and some Tylenol."

"What?" Sesshoumaru murmured in his feverish haze. Kagome sighed.

"Just trust me." she said. "As for you, Inuyasha…" she turned to the hanyou, who was now laying on the ground, rubbing his back against the carpet.

"Stop scratching!" Kagome commanded. "You'll only make it worse. Now go upstairs and wait for me there. I'll run you a nice hot bath with some salts or baking soda."

"No way!" Inuyasha said. "I'm not getting naked in your house!" 

"Why not?" she said angrily. "It wouldn't be the first time!" Kagome clapped her hand over her mouth, suddenly realizing what she had just said. From the couch, there rose up weak, yet decidedly mocking laughter.

"Just like father….weakness in the blood…." 

"I meant he's bathed here before!" Kagome cried, balling her hands into fists. "Oh never mind! YOU be quiet and rest!" she said, pointing to Sesshoumaru. "YOU get up those stairs NOW!" she cried, pointing first at Inuyasha, then the stairs. As the hanyou grudgingly began to head up, Kagome covered her face with her hands and sighed wearily. 

'Please mama, hurry home!' she thought miserably. 


	3. Nurse Kagome to the Rescue

Chapter Three: Nurse Kagome to the rescue 

Kagome left the two of them there glaring at each other; Inuyasha from his perch on her favorite book reading chair and Sesshomaru from his position on the sofa. She was annoyed that he changed his mind about going up to take a bath, but then she figured maybe she'd get him to go take a bath when she came back.

"Imagine him not wanting to when Sesshomaru's in the house, as if Sesshomaru's in any condition to do anything more than lie on the sofa." She thought. Muttering out loud to herself something about "being thankful she wasn't a mom yet, because she wasn't cut out for it" and "how does her mom manage to do it." She could hear them trading insults with each other as she headed towards the kitchen and it bothered her that Sesshomaru's were getting more and more bazaar as his fever spiked up. "I'd laugh if it turns out there's some human blood floating around in his veins too. I mean I guess Inuyasha could get the chicken pox, but Sesshomaru? Maybe that's why there's no Youkai left in this time…" She thought as she poured a glass of ginger ale. Leaving it on the counter she went and opened the medicine box that her mom kept on top of the fridge. Kagome always thought is strange that her family never kept the stuff in the bathroom like everyone else, but then Ba-chan was a nurse and she always said keeping them here was better. "Maybe that's why Jii-san knows so many illnesses?" she thought. Soon she was back in the living room where she found Inuyasha squirming in the chair as he desperately tried not to scratch as well as Sesshomaru doing much the same thing from his prone position on the sofa.   


"What did I tell you two about scratching?" She said as she came over to Sesshomaru. Holding out the glass of ginger ale in one hand and two Tylenol in the other, she watched as Sesshomaru struggled to get up into a sitting position. "He really looks pathetic there; not at all like the way he normally looks, like he's in charge of things." She thought before putting the stuff down and leaning over to help him. "You so much as growl at me Mister and…." This was said to Inuyasha who clearly didn't like the idea of her fussing over his brother, but it also had the unexpected result of getting Sesshomaru to cooperate too. Having got the ginger ale and Tylenol in him, she then left to get a blanket for him as well as start the bath for Inuyasha. Coming back she decided to get the two of them in there together. "This way there'd be less mess" she figured, "as Inuyasha at least is familiar with our bathroom and well I just don't think Sesshomaru wants me to help him there." She blushed as she pictured the two of them in the bath, a sweet picture which quickly dissolved into one of the two of them trying to drown one another. Which was just as well as she came back in the living room, for Inuyasha was like "what took you so long?" and "why can't you make this itching go away?"   
Tucking the blanket in around Sesshomaru, who surprise of surprises actually thanked her for her trouble; "He must be sicker than I thought if he's thanking me." she thought as she turned and announced she was going to check on the bath as well as look for some salts to throw in there.   


So as Sesshomaru drifted back to sleep, Inuyasha sat there and desperately tried not to scratch. First he wiggled then he squiggled until he finally scratched like there was no tomorrow! Hearing Kagome's footsteps coming closer he sat on his hands and pretended he had did that all along, so he wasn't expecting what happened next.  


"Inuyasha!" She shouted at him, which caused Sesshomaru to awaken with a start. "What did I tell you about scratching?!"  


"Kagome…." He whined. "I wasn't scratching… honest!"  


"Yeah right! And Miroku doesn't ask every pretty girl he sees to bear his child! Besides those long nails of yours left a nice trail of red marks where you scratched." She sighed and went on. "Besides your bath's ready and I think you should take Sesshomaru in there with you."  


"NANI???!!!! I'm not bathing with him!" Inuyasha pouted. Sesshomaru shot her a look that said much the same thing, but she ignored him for the moment.   


"Oh yes you are, cause the only alternative is me taking one with him and well….You're just taking one with him and that's final! And I don't want any arguments from either of you! Geeze what a bunch of babies! I know you've shared a bath with Miroku and nothing happened to you! Cause I'm sure if it did I hear about it! And you've must have shared one with that annoying little green thing you hang out with!" she turned and glared at Sesshomaru. "Nothing strange has happened to you either except you now have a little human girl following you around…." She trailed off helplessly before going on. "Never mind! You're just sharing a bath and that's final! Now get your carcass up off the sofa and you get yours up out of that chair and march!" She pointed towards the general area of the bathroom as both brothers struggled to comply. Stopping at the linen closet, she pulled two fluffy white towels and thrust them at them. "Here and if any one of you makes a mess, the two of you will be cleaning it up! Understand?! Good now have a nice bath and don't hesitate to call me if you need me. And it had better be an emergency! Or else!" That settled she turned and left them.   


Both brothers stood there looking at each other and then looking at the bath. This went on for a few minutes before they both bowed to the inevitable and got in. "If you so much as breathe a word that you had to help me in here, I swear once I feel up to it I'll kill you and then I'll revive you until I get bored killing you all over again!"  


"Yeah, like I'm going to admit I took a bath with my brother, in such a small tub too. Now if you don't want to add a missing leg to your list of missing body parts, you had better remove yours from my butt!" Inuyasha called over his shoulder.  


"Ewww! So that's what that is. Besides I never asked you sit in my lap in the first place. So I suggest you remove your butt before you lose it!"   
They argued like that for a while until Kagome knocked and stuck her head in. "Everyone ok in here? Inuyasha, come here so I can give you these things to put on until my mom gets back." She removed her head and stuck her hand back in its place. In her hand was a pair of her sweat pants that she figured would fit Inuyasha. For Sesshomaru , she found an old robe of her Jii-san's that she hoped would cover everything as she had no intention of finding out what a full Youkai looked like under his clothes.   


"Hold on while I get out of the bath."  


"Don't worry Inuyasha, just stay put. Sesshomaru, why don't you come and get this. Ummm…. The robe's for you and the pants are for Inuyasha. I'm sorry but you're just a bit bigger than he is and well…. My mom's not back with anything yet and I think we really need to wash up those…."  
She was cut off by a "Hold on wench while I attempt to get out of here!" followed by some cursing and splashing as the two brothers tried to get out of the bath.   


"Umm… never mind just stay put! Your clothes are just outside the door." She quickly shut the door and dropped the clothes. Sprinting outside as fast as she could, Kagome just made it before collapsing if a fit of giggles at the thought of the scene in the bath. Shaking her head she looked up in time to dash back inside as she caught sight of her friends coming by for a visit. "Oh crap! What else can go wrong?"   
Meanwhile after much splashing and cursing, Inuyasha managed to get himself out of the bath first followed by his brother. They grabbed towels and dried themselves off. Then Inuyasha opened the door and found the clothes that Kagome left them. He just managed to squeeze into Kagome's sweat pants, but doubted very much he'd be able to sit comfortably in them, while Sesshomaru struggled with getting the robe on. Shaking his head Inuyasha offered some silent help. However while Kagome's grandpa had enough girth for the robe to go around Sesshomaru's middle, he didn't have Sesshomaru's broad shoulders, so the robe wouldn't close without threatening to rip up the back.   


"Looks like you don't have anything to wear elder brother!" he smirked as Sesshomaru fumed back at him.   


"Look you imbecile! Just help me get it off so we can tie it around my waist! I'm sure your wench's ofukuro will be back any minute now with something suitable to wear." Inuyasha stood there trying to decide whether or not he was going to help before giving in. He figured as bad as his brother looked now, dressed the way he was thinking of dressing might even look more ridiculous. So he helped, but he had to admit Sesshomaru had somehow managed to pull off looking good while barely being dressed. That got him worried about Kagome and how'd she react when she saw him. The fact that he heard her talking to someone didn't sink in until he realized it wasn't her Mom she was talking to.   


"Oh crap! Sesshomaru we have to be quiet cause there's someone there with Kagome!" he hissed.   


"Hunh? Who's there? Shouldn't her ofukuro be back now? I wish there was something I could do about this awful itching. And besides I want to lie down again, I don't feel well again."   


"Shut up! I think it's those girls she always talks about. Her friends… from what's that place? School! That's it her friends from school are here!"   


"What?"  


"You heard me!"   


Meanwhile downstairs Kagome was desperately trying to get rid of her friends.  


"My Grandpa is sick Eri and it's contagious! You guys can't be here now! Sorry I'll talk to you at school tomorrow! Ok bye!" Kagome said as she tried to push them out the door.   


"Oh really? Then how come I saw him at the Motomuro shrine this morning and he looked fine to me!"  


"That's right! And Yuka told us your little brother was going to the zoo with her cousin this afternoon. In fact she said your mom told hers about it!"  


"Well errr…ummm…."  


"I bet she's hiding a guy here! What do you think, Ayumi? Yuka?" Eri said as she tried to see if there where any extra shoes lined up next to Kagome's.   


"Oh well! You got me! There is a guy here! Heehee! And well he…. can't meet you right now! Umm…. I have to go, bye!" Kagome said as she tried to close the door on them before they came in any farther than they did.   


"Why can't he meet us? No way!!!!!!" Eri blushed as she thought about the reason why Kagome couldn't introduce him. "I bet that box of "extra larges" are coming in handy aren't they!" she said as she nudged her friend with her elbow and winked at her other friends there. Who both "oh-ed" as they too caught on to Eri's meaning and blushed.  


Kagome blushed too as she realized what Eri was implying. "Noooo! It's not like that at all!!!


	4. Pretty in Pink

Chapter 4 : Pretty in Pink

"You've got it all wrong!" Kagome said, pleading her case. "It's not THAT kind of boy! It's my cousin Jun from Yokohama. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone that he's here. He's very sick, so his parents sent him here to the shrine to relax and be spiritually cleansed."

"Oh!" Eri said. "Why didn't you say so before? In that case, Kagome-chan, I insist that you at least introduce us to your cousin, and then we'll be on our merry way."

"Is he cute?" Yuka asked, giggling.

"He's my cousin!" Kagome said indignantly. "And besides that, he's eleven! But I'm afraid that you won't be able to meet him anyway…he's sick and he needs his rest."

"Oh, the poor thing!" Yuka said sadly. "Maybe we can cheer him up!" The three girls started for the stairs. Kagome darted out in front of them, blocking their path.

"Did I mention that he's also very contagious?" she said quickly.

"Really?" Eri said, looking unsure. "What's he got?"

"Ummm, Parvo!" Kagome blurted out.

"Parvo?" Ayumi said uncertainly. "Isn't that a puppy disease?"

"Well, yes, puppies do get ONE kind of Parvo, but people can get it to! In fact," Kagome said before faking a huge sneeze, "I haven't been feeling to well either, now that you mention it…" Her three friends backed away from her slowly, heading for the door.

"Well, Kagome-chan," Eri said nervously, "If it's really THAT contagious, then maybe it is a good idea if we leave your cousin alone until he feels better."

"Yes, that's probably… *Cough! Cough!, Excuse me!* …best. I'll introduce you to him another time." Kagome said, smiling and advancing on her now retreating friends.

"Of course, of course!" the girls chorused, rushing out the door. "Sayonara, Kagome-chan!" As soon as they had closed it, Kagome breathed a huge sigh of relief. 

"Thank you gods!" she whispered. "Thank you! They bought it! And they left! And the boys were so quiet! Wait a minute…" Kagome suddenly felt a sliver of icy dread stab her through the heart. WHY were they being so quiet?

"Inuyasha?" she called up the stairs. No answer. She thought about calling Sesshoumaru's name, but she would have felt ridiculous doing that, so she started up the stairs instead. As she climbed, she said a silent prayer. 'Gods please let them both still be alive and the house still in one piece when I get up there.' She knocked lightly on the bathroom door, and when no one answered, she opened it a crack and peeked in. Seeing that it was unoccupied, she opened the door and quickly inspected the room. The floor was a little wet, but other than that, it was not to bad. While she was in there, she checked the medicine cabinet, and as luck would have it, she found something useful in there. 'Now where did they run off to?' she wondered. One look at the floor in the hallway gave her the answers she needed; two sets of wet footprints leading to her bedroom. 'Of course Inuyasha would go in there.' She thought. 'That's probably where he feels most comfortable.' Still, she couldn't help but feel nervous at the prospect of having two full grown, rival male demons in her fuzzy, little, bubble-gum-pink bedroom. 'Everything better be exactly the way I left it!' she thought anxiously. She walked in to discover Sesshoumaru lying on her bed, facing the wall, and Inuyasha sitting on the floor, staring at Sesshoumaru's back. 

"Hi." Kagome said softly, entering the room. "Are you guys feeling any better after your bath?" 

"No." Inuyasha groused. "I still itch like crazy, and these pants are really small and uncomfortable, and Sesshoumaru stole the bed and -"

"Ok! Ok!" Kagome interrupted. "I get the idea! You're unhappy! Sheesh! I'm doing the best I can! I've been kind of busy trying to keep you two from being discovered!" 

"Are they still here?" Inuyasha said nervously, glancing at the bedroom door.

"No, they're gone." Kagome said. "Don't worry about it, I know how to handle them. Anyway, I brought you something that might help with the itching." Inuyasha's ears perked up at the prospect.

"Yeah?" he said.

"It should." Kagome said, holding up a small, pink and white bottle. "This is calamine lotion. It's supposed to help with poison ivy, mosquito bites and chicken pox." 

"I thought you said chicken pox was a HUMAN disease." Inuyasha grumbled miserably. 

"I thought it was." she sighed. "And I'd still think so if you were the only one suffering right now. After all, you're half-human, don't forget."

"Feh. Like I could." he grumbled.

"Well, regardless, Sesshoumaru has been affected as well, so I guess it isn't just a human disease after all. But don't take my word for it; I'm hardly a doctor. I'm just guessing here! Now turn around." She instructed the itchy hanyou, "I'm going to put this stuff on your back, and then you can do your front."

"What about Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha said as he turned his back to her, draping his long, silver hair over one shoulder to give her full access of his back.

"Well, I'm obviously going to have to put it on him, too." Kagome said, kneeling behind him. She poured some calamine onto a cotton ball and began to rub it onto his back in long strokes, causing Inuyasha's ears to twitch in relief as the cooling lotion was applied and the itch seemed to fade away, momentarily forgotten.

"You're actually going to touch him?" Inuyasha asked, disbelieving. 

"Inuyasha…" Kagome warned, but then she amended with, "Does that feel any better?"

"Yes." he admitted, the relief apparent in his voice.

"Ok, your back's done." she said, standing up. "Let me put some on Sesshoumaru, and then you can have the bottle back to do the rest of yourself." Kagome walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge, looking down at Inuyasha's older brother.

"Sesshoumaru…" she whispered, placing a hand on his forehead. His hair was drenched, but she couldn't tell if it was from sweat or the bath. On the plus side, he seemed to be cooling down a bit. She opened the bottle of calamine lotion and poured some onto a clean cotton ball. 

"This will soothe the rash." she said softly, swabbing his chest. He remained semi-conscious the entire time; his eyelids fluttered but never opened to look up at her. As she cared for him, she was struck by how beautiful he truly was. The soft, smooth lines of his face and body held a strange, alien beauty that somehow managed to be both masculine and feminine at the same time. It was otherworldly. She wondered, as she often did when she saw him, how someone so captivatingly beautiful could be capable of such cruelty.

"You've been doing that for an awfully long time!" Inuyasha said suddenly, breaking in on her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, sorry!" She said, standing up and handing the open bottle back to Inuyasha, who immediately dipped a finger into the bottle. When he brought it out again, a shocked look appeared on his face.

"PINK?!" he gasped. "You didn't tell me this crap was pink! I'm all pink?!" 

"Would you rather itch?" Kagome said testily. Inuyasha grumbled something incoherent, then began to rub the lotion on his bare chest. 

"I didn't think so." Kagome said. When he was finished, she took the bottle from him, capped it, and placed it on the nightstand. Then she turned back to him and asked, "Now, do you need anything else while I'm up here?"

"I'm hungry." he grumbled.

"Alright, I'll go make you something to eat." she said.

"And I'm starting to feel dizzy." he added.

"Ok, I'll get an extra pillow and futon from the hall closet. You stay here and rest. Don't bother Sesshoumaru." She stared at him expectantly, waiting for his answer. 

"Feh."

"I'll take that as a yes." she said, then left the room and went downstairs. Inuyasha sat silently brooding, while he stared distrustfully at his sleeping brother. Dammit, he was hungry! And why did Sesshoumaru get to lay on the bed? Just cause he got sick first? What the hell? Why did he get special treatment? Sesshoumaru tried to kill Kagome all the time! He had only attempted it once! Minutes passed and Inuyasha became more and more agitated. Where the hell was Kagome with his food? To make matters worse, the calamine lotion had begun to dry and flake off. He was starting to itch again. Well, the bottle was right over there… Inuyasha got up and walked over to the nightstand. He picked up the bottle of lotion, and as he did so, Sesshoumaru rolled over and stared at him, his face expressionless. 

"It itches again." he said flatly. "Give me the bottle."

"Screw you! I got it first." Inuyasha said angrily.

"Give me the bottle, whelp." he said again, his voice becoming soft and deadly. Inuyasha scowled at him, insolently. 

"Make me."

Kagome was in the kitchen, happily stirring chicken noodle soup in a pot on the stovetop, when she heard a loud crash overhead, followed by shouting and footsteps running down the upstairs hall. 

"I knew it was too good to last." she sighed, turning off the stove. As she tromped up the stairs, the first thing that she noticed was her bedroom door, or rather, the gaping hole where her door should have been. By the time she reached the top step, however, she had spotted it lying on the floor in the hallway. As for the hallway itself, it was best described in one word; pink. There was pink everywhere. She followed pink footprints down the hall, stepping over what looked like the remains of Jii-chan's robe on her way, to her mother's bedroom, where there was a big, pink handprint on the door. She flung the door open to find them both mostly naked on her mother's bed. What little clothing remained was hanging off them in rags, each sliced from the other's claws. They were dripping pink from head to toe with calamine lotion, their normally snowy locks now cast in a rosy hue. Sesshoumaru was standing over his brother, his eyes glowing blood red, his one remaining hand around Inuyasha's throat. Inuyasha had both hands around Sesshoumaru's wrist, attempting to pry the fingers off of his windpipe. When the door flew open, revealing Kagome, they both froze. Kagome stood frozen herself in the doorway, her mouth hanging open. She prayed that she was dreaming when, from somewhere downstairs, the far-away sound of the front door slamming reached her ears. But then she heard the unmistakable voice of her mother calling: 

"Kagome! I'm back!" 


	5. Yay! Mommy's Home!

Chapter 5: Yay! Mommy's home!

Kagome froze like Bambi caught in a set of oncoming headlights; she didn't know what was worse the scenes of destruction in the hallway, the two mostly naked pink covered demons trying to kill each other all over her mother's bed, or that fact that her mother had to pick this minute to come home. Staring at them with her mouth open wasn't going to help so she shut it as well as the door behind her. 

"You two are like soooooo dead!!! Hear me!! Dead!!!! Mama's home and you guys had to go and pull the door off my room, didn't you!!! You know if I was your Okaasan, and I thank my lucky stars I'm not…..I'd have…I'd have….oh! Look at this!!!" She gestured wildly at the two of them. "Ok, now what, Inuyasha?!"

"It sounds like your ofukuro is coming up the stairs, that's all." He said in what he hoped was a helpful tone of voice.

"What?! Oh crap!!!"

"That's right; I believe she's almost here." Sesshomaru informed her in the sweetest voice she ever heard him use.

Looking around wildly and wishing for a hole to dive into and escape this nightmare; Kagome rubbed her hands over her face and sighed. Suddenly inspiration hit. "Ok I've got it. Look you're delirious & you didn't know what you were doing," she pointed at Sesshomaru. "And you're trying to help calm him down but he fought you off and broke the door. The calamine lotion got spilled when he yanked it out of your hand and anno…anno…. Oh hi, Mama!" She cried as she turned to face her mom who had seen the destruction and was wondering just what went on while she was out. 

"Hi Dear…. What happened to the hallway? Why is there calamine lotion all over the place… or shouldn't I ask?"

"Oh Mama!!! It was horrible!!!! They got chicken pox and Sesshomaru has a fever and got all delirious and we couldn't calm him down long enough to get some Tylenol in him and finally we did and now we were trying to clean up the mess and I know they're both very sorry and Sesshomaru thought we were going to poison him with the calamine lotion and Inuyasha tried to show him it was nothing and tried to put some on him spilled it and I tried to find stuff for them to wear and that's how Jii-san's robe got ripped and…and…and…" Kagome looked at her mom and started crying. Comforting her daughter as best she could, and trying not to laugh in the process for Higarashi-san was reminded of a similar scene that took place when she was around Kagome's age. Shaking her as if to dispel the memories, she covered up an escaped laughed by pretending to cough and told her daughter to ask her later about the time she had to baby-sit her cousins and they decided to play Godzilla vs. Mothra in their dad's home office. And destroyed all of his architectural models in the process; if she remembered correctly. Higarashi-san then looked up and asked, "Well does anyone want to see what I got them?"

Three sets of eyes fastened themselves on her; two sets that had a look in them that reminded Higarashi-san of eager puppies, one set that looked at her like she suddenly grew another head. "Ok, I'll take that as a 'yes'." Higarashi-san picked up the bags she had dropped when she came in and looked inside one of them. She pulled out two pairs of sweatpants from the bag and handed a red pair to Inuyasha, and the soft gray ones she gave to Sesshomaru. 

"Doumoarigatou Higarashi-san (sama)" was heard as both of them suddenly found their manners. 

"You're welcome. Would you like to see what else I got you?" 

Kagome stood there mouth open watching them. She was sure that if both them had tails they would be wagging them like there was no tomorrow. In fact she was sure if her mother had told them to sit up and beg or roll over and play dead they would have done it too. "I know Inuyasha's a big puppy dog at heart, but Sesshomaru too? This is getting really crazy now!" she thought.

"Ok, this one's for Sesshomaru," Higarashi-san said as she pulled a blue T-shirt out of the other bag. "I hope you don't mind it has Pikachu on it." She looked up as Sesshomaru tried to unfold the shirt. "Come here I'll help you." She took it from him and snapped it open. Holding it up, she smiled as he nodded in approval. Inuyasha from his seat on the floor sniggered as he knew what Pikachu was from watching Pokemon with Sota. He found it even more amusing that Higarashi-san had to help his brother put it on. 

"Higarashi-sama, what does this say?" Sesshomaru asked, pointing top the English on his shirt. 

"It says 'Pikachu I choose you!' Dear. Do you like it?"

"Hai! Arigatou Higarashi-sama." Sesshomaru frowned at his brother as he didn't quite hear what the other one muttered under his breath. 

"Inuyasha, this one's for you." She held out a folded red shirt. Looking rather pleased with himself, for he was sure Higarashi-san wouldn't buy him a silly T-shirt, he was shocked to see what was on the front of his. 

"Let's see what you got Inuyasha." Kagome said from her spot on the floor where she was helping Sesshomaru step into his new sweats. 

Blushing, which wasn't seen under all the calamine lotion that covered his face, Inuyasha held up his shirt. Kagome stifled a laugh as she saw it had hamsters on it and it said in big letters above them, "Ham-ham time!" 

"Well… it was the only red one they had there and I know how much you love the color red… Doesn't it fit?"

"Hai, Higarashi-san it fits. Arigatou." He put it on and Kagome stood there silently laughing as her mom suggested they all leave so he could finish getting dressed. Then they all trooped into the hall where they were joined by Inuyasha a few minutes later. That's when Higarashi-san announced they were going to clean up the mess in her hallway. "I'm sorry Dears, you were well enough to make the mess, so you must be well enough to clean it up. Kagome, Dear, why don't you go get something the three of you can use to clean up the pink stuff, while I call the drugstore and see if they'll deliver some more."

So after the two women left, the two of them stood there tossing blame at each other before Inuyasha heard something that made his ears prick up.

"Kagome, guess what? That nice boy you know from school, you know Hojo, said he was coming over personally to see that we got our things quickly. Isn't that nice?"

"What?! Noooo!!! Please tell me you're kidding, Mama?" 

"What if he wants to come up and to see if I'm alright? Thanks to Jii-san, he thinks I'm an invalid! How am I going to explain Inuyasha and Sesshomaru to him? Remember Inuyasha has those ears! Granted they're cute and all.."

"That they are Dear!"  
"Still they're not exactly normal!"

Sesshomaru laughed. "It seems your wench has another man hidden here in her village. Apparently she doesn't want the two of you to meet. I wonder why?"

"Shut up you asshole! Kagome's my wench and she knows it…"

"She is; is she? I thought you'd never admit that. Just goes to show you that not only have you inherited your ofukuro's good looks…" Sesshomaru smirked sarcastically, "but it seems you've inherited Chichi-ue's unfortunate taste in women." He beamed at his brother as if he had paid him the highest of compliments. 

"Shut up! You're an even bigger asshole than I thought, Sesshomaru, if you think I'm going to take you insulting me every time you lay eyes on me! I've had it with your shit!"

Inuyasha said as he looked menacingly at his brother. Trouble was he was still rather pink from the calamine lotion war and the stuff was starting to flake off his skin. That combined with the red outfit he was wearing made him look funny rather than threatening. So Sesshomaru laughed at him. Had he bothered to look in a mirror he would have found he looked much the same as his brother if not worse for he had two stiff looking snarls in his hair from when Inuyasha had pulled it that just framed his pink flaky face. That had Inuyasha laughing as well which had the effect of ticking off Sesshomaru.

"What's so funny Asshole?" he demanded. 

"Nothing… Just your face you stupid old asshole! And your stupid hair too!"

"What did you say, whelp?"

"You heard me, you idiot! I said you look stupid with your hair all bunched up in big pink snarls. Actually it's an improvement if you ask me!"

"Why…you little shiiiiiiii….." With that the fight broke out all over again and neither one heard the soft knock on the door as Hojo had arrived with stuff from the drugstore.

Kagome greeted him there and just as he came in there was another loud crash from upstairs. "Heeeh….."

"Everything alright, up there Kagome?" he asked; concern written all over his face.

"Sure if you call two demon brothers trying to kill each other again alright, then I guess everything's just peachy." She thought. 

"Kagome Dear, I'd better go upstairs and see what's happened. I think Sota and his friend are getting a bit rambunctious and I'd better go before they break something. Thank you for bringing that stuff right over Hojo; it was very kind of you to do so." With that Higarashi-san ran up the stairs as another loud crash was heard, leaving her daughter to deal with Hojo. 


	6. Another Bare Chest, Another Stupid Shirt

Chapter 6: Another Bare Chest, Another Stupid Shirt

"Well, Higurashi," Houjo said nervously. "You're looking very well for someone with chicken pox."

"Oh! Houjo-kun," Kagome said, blushing. "I don't have chicken pox! It's for…my cousin Jun, from Yokohama!"

"I thought he had Parvo?" Houjo said, confused.

"Boy, news sure travels fast around here!" Kagome muttered. "Yes, he has Parvo, but he's also has hives. Mom didn't know that he had a nasty allergy to strawberries, and she made him some strawberry pancakes this morning so…uh, would you like a cup of tea?" she said quickly, changing the subject.

"I'm sorry, I can't stay. I just came to deliver the lotion. I have to get back to work, or Yurimoto-sama will be angry." Houjo said, looking sadly at Kagome. Kagome, however, flashed him a huge, toothy grin.

"Oh well, too bad! I guess if you have to go, then you have to go! Well, see you later Houjo-kun!" she said, practically pushing him out the door. "You'd better hurry back, you don't want your boss to get angry! Nice seeing you! Goodbye!" She was about to slam the door in his face when he blocked it with his foot.

"Wait a second, Higurashi." he said, taking her hand in his. "How can I be so rude? I hardly ever see you in school anymore, and when you are kind enough to offer me hospitality in your own home, I callously refuse! I can be a few minutes late. I'll just take the time out of my break. I would love a cup of tea." he said, smiling at her happily. 

"Oh, of course." Kagome said, a pained look in her eyes that he mistook for timid joy. "W-won't you come inside, Houjo-kun?" 

"I am honored, Higurashi." he said, bowing his head slightly, then entering the house. Once he had passed by and his back was to her, she slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand. 'Baka!' she scolded herself. Oh well, it was too late now. She'd just have to make him the quickest cup of tea ever made in the history of Japan. 

"So, Houjo-kun, what's new at school?" she said, making small talk while she put the kettle on. 

"Well, there is a dance coming up next Friday…" he said timidly. 

"That's nice, now where did I put those teabags?" she said, cutting him off. She could already see the direction this conversation was going in, and she wanted no part of it. 

"Higurashi, I'd be very happy if you would-" Houjo began, but he was interrupted by a loud crash from overhead. "What's going on up there?" he asked, momentarily distracted. 

"Uh, Sota and cousin Jun are washing the uh, cat." she said lamely. 

"It sounds like they're washing a heard of elephants!" Houjo said, laughing. Kagome laughed, too, but nervously. 

Meanwhile, upstairs, Higurashi-san was having her own problems. She had managed to put an end to their brawling by promising Sesshoumaru another bath, this time alone and undisturbed, and by swearing to Inuyasha that she would not allow her daughter to go off gallivanting with 'that guy downstairs.' She had successfully gotten Sesshoumaru into the bath, having shown him how to operate it by himself, and after a quick discussion about what shampoo and conditioner were used for, she had essentially washed one demon out of her hair. His little brother, however, was proving to be more of a handful. 

Try as she might, she couldn't keep him off the staircase.

"Inuyasha, dear." she said, appealing to him for the umpteenth time. "The young man just stopped by to drop off some more calamine lotion. He is not going to run off with Kagome, no matter what your brother said. He was only teasing you. Now please come back up here before you're seen."

"I don't care if he sees me!" Inuyasha growled. "Let him! I'm going to be the last thing he ever sees!"

"You will not kill the delivery boy!" Higurashi-san said sensibly. "Especially in this shrine. I would consider it a great personal insult, and I would see to it that you were never allowed to come here or see my daughter again. Do I make myself perfectly clear, young man?" Inuyasha stared the lady of the house right back in the eye, testing her will against his own, seeing if she was bluffing. He was horrified when her hand shot out and grabbed him by one of his sensitive ears.

"Don't you give me that look!" Higurashi-san cried, tugging roughly at the ear. "Get off these stairs immediately and help me clean up this mess!"

"OW! Alright! Alright! Let go!" he yelped. She did as he asked, but kept a close eye on him, in case he tried to run.

"What do you want me to do?" Inuyasha asked hurriedly, rubbing his sore ear. 

"Well, you can start by propping up Kagome's door against that wall, then you can pick up everything you two knocked over in Kagome's room and mine. I'll get some rags and begin cleaning up this pink nightmare." Without another word of coaxing, Inuyasha quickly propped up the door, then hurried off to Kagome's bedroom. 

"That's my future son-in-law." Higurashi-san sighed, a faint smile touching her lips as she took a moment to catch her breath. She didn't rest long, however, because at that moment, Kagome came running up the stairs. She ran past her mother, down the hallway, and into her brother's bedroom, where she started rummaging through drawers. 

"Kagome, what's wrong?" her mother asked, following her into Sota's room.

"Houjo-kun started to ask me if I wanted to go with him to a dance next Friday, and I got nervous and spilled an entire pot of tea on him!" Kagome explained as she flung a pair of jeans over her shoulder.

"Oh my goodness!" Higurashi-san exclaimed. "Is he alright?" 

"He's fine. I was so distracted by all the noise coming from up here that I never turned the stove on, so the water was still cold. But his shirt is soaking wet now, so I told him I'd bring him down one of Sota's." she finished, pulling a likely candidate from the dresser. "Is everything Ok up here?"

"Why yes, Kagome, everything's fine." her mother said innocently. Kagome gave her mother a funny look, then shook her head and ran back downstairs.

Houjo was waiting for her in the kitchen, his wet shirt still resting on his shoulders, but completely unbuttoned, revealing a surprisingly tight, tan chest. Kagome averted her eyes, however, and handed him the neon-yellow shirt that she had pulled from Sota's dresser. 

"H-here Houjo-kun," she said bashfully, her cheeks turning pink. "I hope it fits." Houjo removed his wet shirt, draping over the back of a chair, and revealing the rest of his tight, tan torso. Much to Kagome's chagrin, rather than putting the new shirt directly on, he held it out to read first.

"Ah, 'Yu-gi-oh!' Uh, thanks Higurashi." he said politely, before finally and mercifully pulling the t-shirt over his head. The situation did not improve much for Kagome, however; the shirt was very tight, and seemed to accentuate the lines of his body even more. 

"Houjo-kun…" Kagome said tiredly.

"I think I'd better get back to work." Houjo interrupted, anxiously.

"Of course!" she said eagerly as she showed him out. "I'm so sorry, again."

"That's alright." he said happily. "No harm done. I'll give you back the shirt when I see you in school tomorrow?" he asked hopefully. 

"You bet!" she said, smiling at him. "Thank you for bringing the calamine lotion!" .

"No problem!" he said as he mounted his bicycle. "Just doing my job. Tell your cousin that I hope he feels better!"

"I will! Arigato!" she called after him as he rode away. Then she stepped back inside and closed the door with an exhausted sigh.

"This day is never going to end…" she said wearily as she trudged up the stairs. When she reached the top, however, she was greeted by a pleasant surprise. Apart from the fact that her door was now resting against the wall, instead of on it's hinges in the doorframe, everything appeared to be back to normal. All traces of pink footprints had been wiped away. The only thing that troubled her now was that she didn't see her mother anywhere. Deciding to investigate, she quietly entered her room. Inside, she found her mother sitting on the bed, Inuyasha's head in her lap as the hanyou slept soundly. 

"Mama?" Kagome called softly. Her mother looked up, bringing a finger to her lips. Kagome nodded, tip-toeing into the room. 

"He was so tired." her mother whispered, stroking Inuyasha's hair. 

"He hasn't rested since this whole thing started." Kagome said sadly, shaking her head. "and my guess is that he's going to get a whole lot worse than Sesshoumaru did, being half human and all." 

"Mmmm. Chicken pox can be very serious for a boy his age." Higurashi-san whispered, her voice filled with concern.

"Well, we can only hope that his demon blood will offer some protection." Kagome whispered gravely. "Speaking of which, where's Sesshoumaru?" Her mother stifled a giggle, but her eyes twinkled with merriment. 

"He's been in the tub for last hour! I think he might have used an entire bottle of shampoo on that tail?" Higurashi-san looked at her daughter uncertainly. Kagome nodded. "that tail of his." her mother finished.

"Good." Kagome said. "He was looking pretty desperate the last time I saw him. Why did you buy them those ridiculous shirts, Mama?" 

"Now now!" her mother scolded good-naturedly. "Sota likes shirts like those, and I've never shopped for boys their age! Besides," she added quickly, "they were on sale."

"I guess it doesn't matter." Kagome said quietly. "Their clothes should be dry soon, anyway." 

"Well, I wouldn't count on that." her mother said, shaking her head. "It's not like I could put them in the dryer, they're made from silks and fur, for heaven's sake!"

"Great." Kagome muttered. "What are we going to do in the meantime?"

"Well, I guess I'll have to call my girlfriends and cancel that 'girl's night out.' I can't very well go traipsing about all over town and leave you here alone with two sick boys on your hands."

"Oh, Mama." Kagome sighed. "You've been waiting weeks to go out with your friends! I'm so sorry, this is all my fault."


	7. Poor Baby!

Chapter 7: Poor Baby!

Kagome looked so upset that Higarashi-san was tempted to tell her daughter that she changed her mind and would go, but that was before she heard the yelling coming from the bathroom. "Kagome Dear, would you mind going and seeing what Sessho-kun wants? I'd get up but I don't want to disturb Inuyasha; he really needs some rest, the poor thing."

"Ok Mama." Kagome said not realizing at first what she agreed to. Smacking her forehead in disgust, she walked over to the bathroom, calling out to him, "Keep your shirt on for Pete's sake! I'm coming!" Blushing she realized he wasn't wearing one, or much of anything else judging by the complaints coming from inside the bathroom. Knocking on the door and asking if he was descent, she waited for the ok to come in. 

"Descent? What are you talking about wench? Why can't you come in here and fix this stupid hot spring! The blasted water isn't hot any more!!!!"

"Listen Stupid! And yes you heard me, Sesshomaru! I said Stupid! You used up all the hot water! Just how long have you been in here? And what happened to my Pantene? That was the super deluxe size and both bottles cost me a week's allowance seeing as the stuff is imported from America!!! You idiot!!!! I know your hair is long, but no one uses a whole bottle of shampoo & conditioner on their hair!!!"

"What did you call me wench?!"

"Shut up! I'm not Inuyasha, who you can bully into a fight! You're just lucky you don't live in this time or you'd be buying me more! Anyway, I can't fix the 'hot spring' as you call it cuz it takes time for the water heater to heat that much water. Just how many times have you emptied and refilled this thing? You know…..you…know…." Kagome started to stutter as she caught site of what a full Youkai looks like without his pants, never mind his shirt. The more Sesshomaru, in a totally clueless moment that would have rivaled one of Inuyasha's, stared at her the redder her cheeks got as she tried not to look at him. "Gods he's even ….is it hot in here…or is just me….than Inuyasha!" she thought. 

"Woman, what is the matter?" Sesshomaru asked before he noticed that his chicken pox looked strange from being water logged. Yelping is surprise he stood up and that when Kagome yelped as well and ran from the bathroom back to her room.

"Everything alright Dear? I thought I heard yelling again. Kagome, you look flushed; don't tell me you're coming down with something too?" Higarashi-san said from her seat on Kagome's bed. "Come here Dear and let me feel your head."

I'm fine, Mama. Really, I am. I just startled Sesshomaru in the bath that's all…." She shook her head. "I think I saw more than I wanted too." Smiling at her mom she asked, "Is it possible to wash your eyes out with soap?"

Laughing along with her daughter, "I don't think so, but you're welcome to try it."

"Shoot! I can't Sesshomaru has used up all the hot water! What's more I think he's a bit water-logged and those chicken pox thingies look weird."

"Wench!!! Come here, NOW!" Sesshomaru yelled as he entered the room. Seeing the look on Higarashi-san's face killed any more thoughts of yelling at Kagome. So he decided to ask her instead about said chicken pox thingies. "What happened to these spots, Higarashi-sama? They look strange." He thrust out his remaining arm at her. 

Taking the arm in her hands and not liking that fact that it felt a bit warm, especially after Sesshomaru had been sitting and soaking in the tub, she looked at it. "I think they're starting to pus up, Sessho-kun. If I remember correctly from when Kagome had them, I believe they should start drying up and scabbing over. Then the scabs will fall and you'll be fine. I just hope you didn't scratch them too hard or you could wind up with little pock marks. If they are still itchy we can put more calamine lotion on."

"Arigatou, Higarashi-sama." Jerking his head over towards Inuyasha, he asked, "What's wrong with the whelp? He looks funny, you know a bit reddish and he seems to have gotten more of those spots."

"Oh, my! That he does! Come to think of it he feels a bit warmer too." She said as she leaned over and felt his head. 

"Is he going to be ok, Mama?"

"I'm sure he'll be fine, Dear. It's just that sometimes when chicken pox goes through the house the person who brings them home isn't as sick as the people who catch it from them. Inuyasha just has a worse case than Sessho-kun had, that's all; not too mention the fact that he got them as a 'teenager'? He'll just need some extra special care that's all."

"Sessho-kun, Kagome can you two help me move him off my lap? I don't want to wake him and all." After a bit of fussing and stifled giggles from Kagome and her mom, they managed to get her out from under Inuyasha's head as well as get him tucked into Kagome's bed. Kagome stood there stroking his forehead, oblivious to the fact that Sesshomaru was watching her. She was worried as he seemed to be even warmer than she remembered Sesshomaru being earlier. So it was a few minutes before she realized that Sesshomaru was trying to get her attention. 

"Now what do you want? Mama said she'd put more calamine lotion on if you need it. Or do want me to help you with your shirt?"

"No… I was just wondering if the whelp was going to be alright." And just so Kagome wouldn't detect the concern in his voice he scowled at her. 

Smiling she told him she didn't know. "I think Mama is going to call the doctor or something. Either that or maybe she'll look up what to do on the internet. If you're bored I'll go put the TV on in my mom's room or maybe you want to play a video game in Sota's?" His puzzled look made her tell him never mind and before he could say anything else, Higarashi-san returned. 

"Ok. There's not much we can do for him except watch that his symptoms don't get worse. We can always give him Tylenol and more calamine lotion for the itching. I just don't like this fever. At least you seemed to recover quickly from it, so maybe Inuyasha will do the same. Well let's just put this compress on and maybe you can watch him for us, Sessho-kun? Kagome and I need to make dinner." Then Higarashi-san slapped her forehead as she remembered she forgot to cancel her night out. "OOPS! In all the excitement earlier I forgot to cancel my plans for the evening. Here just keep wetting and ringing out the cloth and putting it back on his head." She handed the bowl of water she brought up earlier to Sesshomaru, and left with her daughter. "Just give a yell if you need me.

"Come dear, I think a little brotherly bonding time is just what they need." She said as she noticed Kagome's look of worry. "Let's go make dinner."

"Ok, but you're sure they'll be alright?" They smiled at each other as they headed for the kitchen. There they got out the stuff Higarashi-san had bought to make dinner for her friends. Soon they were bonding as well and they had a great time for it was rare that they had each other all to themselves. Soon the tantalizing smell of a modern-yaki wafted through the kitchen along with the smell of Kagome's chicken soup. 

Meanwhile back upstairs in Kagome's room, Sesshomaru was dutifully keeping his brother's brow cool. As much as he hated to admit it, he was worried about the little whelp and he missed trading insults with him. After a while Sesshomaru started getting bored as well as a bit sleepy too and it was all he could do to keep his eyes open. So he got up and moved the bowl of water over to Kagome's desk after giving the cloth a final rinse and wring before he replaced it on Inuyasha's head. Then he sat down on the chair and watched his brother sleep. Watching him sleep reminded Sesshomaru just how tired he felt so he figured he'd just rest his head for a minute on his arm in an effort to recharge himself. Unfortunately or rather fortunately, for him he fell asleep too as Inuyasha rolled over on his side and faced him. This caused Sesshomaru to awaken with a start and he looked around bleary eyed as he tried to remember where he was and what he was doing. Then he remembered as he saw the cloth on the pillow, so he replaced and as asleep again before he knew it. 

"Kagome Dear, why don't you go up and see if the boys want anything to eat as we have plenty here. Besides I think it's a good idea if they do eat something even if they don't want more than a few bites. I think it'll do them a lot of good and besides they'll sleep better on a full stomach tonight. This way I think we can get a bit of sleep in too."

"Ok Mama. I'll be back in a sec!" Kagome quickly headed up the stairs as last time the guys were this quiet, it was soon followed by a loud crash as a fight broke out. "Hopefully Sesshomaru won't start anything as it looks like Inuyasha's too sick to fight." She thought as walked into her room. In fact she was very surprised to see them both sleeping peacefully. "Kawaii!!!" she thought as she ran to her desk to get her camera. "No way am I going to miss out on a picture of this!" For there was Inuyasha left thumb in his mouth forefinger wrapped around his nose sucking away like a little baby, a clump o Sesshomaru's hair in his right. Sesshomaru slept on snoring softly head resting on his arm while he drooled slightly on it. "No way is Sango gonna believe me when I tell her about this! Oh! I have to go show Mama too!"


	8. The Fever

Chapter 8: The Fever 

He came out of his dreams into darkness and uncertainty. His senses were dulled, clouded by pain and heat that seemed to radiate throughout his entire body, but he could just make out a faint and familiar scent that seemed to linger close by. He managed to open his eyes a tiny bit, though his vision was blurred somewhat, but he could tell that he was lying beneath a blanket of silver-white hair. 

"oyaji…" Inuyasha moaned in a tiny voice. "…where's mama? Please get mama, tell her I don't feel good…"

"Your mother isn't here." he heard a deep, soothing voice whisper. 

"…please go get mama…" he whispered back, closing his eyes. His breathing was deep and heavy, but it came in choked, rasping breaths. He lay silent for a few more minutes, but soon he began to thrash around on the bed, moaning quietly at first, then louder and louder, until finally he was yelling as loudly as he could in his weakened state. 

"AHHH!" he cried out. "It's so HOT in here! MAMA!" Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard the sounds of racing footsteps and worried voices cutting in and out of his perception.

"…what's happening to him, he's on fire…."

"…hold him down before he hurts himself…"

"…wasn't like this…"

"…thought I was Father…" 

He felt strong arms holding him down, restraining his movements. He struggled against them for a few moments, but his strength soon gave out. Eventually he gave up entirely and went limp. As he laid quietly on his back, panting, he listened insensibly to the whispering voices that swarmed around him.

"…he asleep?…"

"….worn out, the fever's spiked…"

"…must be delirious, I don't think…"

"…Inuyasha… " 

His mouth felt thick and his tongue as dry as sand, but he somehow managed to form words and get enough breath behind them to be heard. 

"s'hot…" he breathed. Higurashi-san looked at her daughter.

"Help me sit him up. We'll take his shirt off." Inuyasha felt two pairs of icy hands grip him by the arms and shoulders, followed by the entire world spinning into chaos as he was pulled upright.

"mama?" he whimpered.

"It's alright, dear." a woman's voice whispered comfortingly.

"I think I'm gonna-" he began.

"SESSHOUMARU! Grab that basin!" someone yelled. Something solid appeared under his chin, and not a moment too soon. He retched violently, his stomach emptying in seconds, then again and again, until finally there was nothing left, but he kept painfully heaving anyway despite that fact. Between the waves of nausea and the retching that seemed to seize his body in a vice-like grip, Inuyasha cried. 

"Shh… honey it's alright…everything's going to be fine, just relax…."

"…am I dying…?" he asked, his eyes unable to focus on any one person.

"No. You won't die here." a deeper, masculine voice said firmly. "Not from some ridiculous HUMAN illness, and certainly not in some little girl's bedroom. There's no honor in that. Now once you're healed, and we get home, THEN I might - "

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome whispered fiercely. "Stop trying to help!"

"Do you think you're finished honey?" Higurashi-san asked encouragingly, patting Inuyasha on the back. He nodded miserably, letting his head drop onto his chest in sheer exhaustion. 

"Here, Kagome, go rinse this out." her mother said, handing her the basin.

"Eww…" Kagome said under her breath, but did as she was bidden. 

"All right, Inuyasha. Arms up!" Higurashi-san said determinedly, grabbing the bottom of the bright-red T-shirt and tugging it over the delirious hanyou's shoulders. She had a little trouble getting his head out the top, due to massive amounts of pink-tinged silver hair, but she managed to get it off without too much difficulty. She let the shirt drop onto the floor, then laid him gently back down on the bed. Kagome returned from the bathroom with the now-empty basin and handed it to her mother, who placed it on the floor beside the bed. 

"Go get the Tylenol, Kagome, and a glass of water." she instructed. Moments later, when Kagome returned, they popped the pill into Inuyasha's mouth, chasing it with a sip of water that he swallowed instinctually, along with the pill. 

"That was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be." Higurashi-san said, sighing with relief as she wiped her forehead with the back of her sleeve. 

"Well, if it hadn't worked, we could always have tried wrapping it in cheese, like we do when Buyo gets sick." Kagome said sarcastically, before tears began to well up in her eyes. "Oh, Mama…" she sniffed, "What's going to happen?" 

"I don't really know." her mother said sadly. "I don't suppose we CAN call a doctor?" 

"No." Kagome said dejectedly. "Look at him!"

"Well, then all we can do is watch him closely and keep giving him fluids so he doesn't dehydrate." her mother sighed, then turning to look at the clock radio on the nightstand, she gasped "Look at the time! Sota and your grandfather will be home from the shrine, soon." 

"I'll sit with Inuyasha, Mama." Kagome said, kneeling down beside the bed. "Why don't you and Sesshoumaru go downstairs and eat that yaki?" 

"Are you sure dear?" her mother asked.

"Of course. I'm not really all that hungry anyway. Besides, I'm too nervous to eat." Kagome lamented, giving her mother a weak smile.

"Alright." her mother said. "Come along Sessho-kun. It's time to meet the rest of the family.

When the others had left, Kagome leaned over and kissed Inuyasha on the forehead. Then she rested her head on his bare chest and listened to his breathing, her head rising up and down with each even breath like a ship bobbing on the ocean.

"I know you can't hear me…" Kagome whispered into the stillness of the big, empty room, "But you have to know that I love you, Inuyasha. Please get better. Please." She closed her eyes, breathing him in, her heart beating in time with his. Somewhere inside of him, deep down beneath the pain and the fear, Inuyasha recognized her scent and voice, and he relaxed.


	9. Happy Family

Chapter 9: Happy Family

Higarashi-san waited for Sesshomaru to follow her down the stairs to the kitchen. He had paused for one last look at his brother and he saw Kagome not only kiss him, but as she lay there with her head on his chest, he heard her tell Inuyasha that she loved him. Fighting a wave of jealousy, he turned on his heel and drifted silently away to Higarashi-san who was waiting for him to join her. They walked down in an uneasy silence before she decided to find out what was wrong besides the obvious.

"Sessho-kun…you know he'll be alright as long as we can keep the fever down…" taking his grunt as agreement with that statement she went on. "Is there something else worrying you? I think Kagome mentioned something about a little girl you were taking care of… is she your daughter?"

"Hunh? Oh… you mean Rin-chan. No… she's not really my daughter…just someone who started following me around one day…" He smiled a bit to himself as he remembered the day she came into his life. "Higarashi-sama, I …I revived her … I don't know why…I just did." He began haltingly as he tried to sort his feelings in the matter. 

"You revived her? Was she hurt badly? Did you know her before? Gomen Sessho-kun, I didn't mean to pry."

"No Higarashi-sama, it's just that…well no one's has ever asked about her before. But the reason I revived her…at least I think it is the reason…well she just looked so pathetic lying there. She was mauled by wolves… and I could see the gaki, the messengers of Hell standing around her as she lay there…." He sighed softly and went on, "so I slew them… and she was alive again."

"Oh my! Did you know her before….she…"

"Hai! I was injured and she just showed up and…well I think she sort of adopted me."

Higarashi-san couldn't help but smile when she heard that. "Come let's eat something before it gets cold," she said, changing the subject as she sensed it was rather painful for him to talk about Rin. "He's really not as bad as Kagome said he was. True he comes across as cold and unfeeling, but I think there's more to Sesshomaru than he lets on," she thought. 

"Would you like some soup or would you rather just have the yaki? I really think you should eat a little something." At his look of protest, she reached up and felt his head. "You're not that hot in case you're worried about ending up 'sick' like your brother. I think a cup of soup and a bit of bread might be the best thing rather than eating the yaki. But you can always have some if you feel up to it. Come, let me get you a cup and there's some bread over there." She pointed to a drawer in a row of cabinets to the right as they came into the kitchen. "Here you go. I'll just give you the broth and if you give me the bread I'll make you some toast to go with it."

Taking the cup from her and looking for a place to set it down, Sesshomaru said, "Gomen, Higarashi-sama, but I don't eat human food. I have no objection if you wish to eat; in fact I have even hunted food for Rin-chan…"

"Oh. Are you sure?" She looked at him anxiously as if expecting him to get sick all over her kitchen.

Seeing her look of concern, Sesshomaru sighed. _"She has been most kind to take me in and treat me as a son…perhaps it would not hurt to eat a bit of her food. Maybe if I had eaten the damn fish that day I wouldn't have my Rin-chan to worry about…."_ He thought. 

"Ok, Higarashi-sama, seeing as you went to a lot of trouble to make it, I will do you the honor of eating your food."

"Don't worry Sessho-kun it won't kill you, even if Kagome made it." She laughed at the look on his face as he decided whether or not to swallow and if not where to politely get rid of it. As he decided, in fact, to swallow, there was a loud bang as the kitchen door flew open followed by a "Mama! We're back!!! Did you miss us???!!!!"

Sota running into the kitchen and straight to his mother's welcoming arms, never noticed Sesshomaru standing in the kitchen with a cup of soup in his hand. Then thinking it was Inuyasha he tossed off a quick greeting and was very surprised to learn it wasn't his favorite dog-brother. Giving both Sesshomaru and his mom a puzzled look, he waited for an explanation. 

"Honey, it's Sessho-kun; Inuyasha's older brother. He's here because he's sick with the chicken pox and so is Inuyasha, so please don't disturb him, dear. Anyway they are both visiting until they are well enough to go home as no one knows how to treat them where they live. Come, why don't we all sit down to eat and you can tell us about your day."

Eying Sesshomaru as if he wasn't sure what to make of his being there, Sota nevertheless launched into an account of his day which was punctuated by remarks from his grandfather. There was one tense moment when Jii-chan asked Sesshomaru if he were one of Kagome's girlfriends from school, before Sota told the story about how they all met Inuyasha. Sesshomaru listened intently and preferred to sit quietly drinking in the sounds of a happy family at dinner. It was something he never remembered his family doing he thought with a pang. _"No wonder Inuyasha likes to disappear here to the wench's village. It's actually quite nice,"_ he thought. 

"Higarashi-sama, may I please go lie down again as I am feeling most tied again. Oh… and thank you for the meal… I never knew human food was this good." He gave her a shy smile.

"Seeing as you barely ate anything, it's a wonder you can tell," she thought. "You're welcome Sessho-kun." She said before telling Sota, "Honey why don't you do me a favor while I clean up here with Jii-chan and show Sessho-kun where your room is. I was thinking he could lie down in your room for a while."

"Sure Mama! Come on let's go!" Sota waited for Sesshomaru to follow and as soon as they left the kitchen he started yakking at him like they were old friends. Higarashi-san had to laugh as she heard Sota ask what happened to Sesshomaru's shirt as well as Sesshomaru's reply about the new Pikachu shirt she gave him.

"WOW! You like Pikachu?! That's sooo cool! Inuyasha thinks he's stupid! Then you won't mind my Pikachu sheets! Cool! I never meet anyone besides my friends who like that show! What's your favorite episode? Wanna play Pokemon Stadium with me?"

"Sota!" she called out, "please let Sessho-kun rest and don't forget to ask Kagome if she wants to eat now. Tell her I'll be up in a few minutes to check on Inuyasha!"

"Ok Mama!" He called out from the bottom of the stairs.

"Why do you yell at each other like that? Can you not hear if you speak in a quieter tone?" Sesshomaru asked hopefully.

"Sure Sessho-kun. Wow! You must be really special if Mama calling you Sessho-kun. She never calls anyone that except our cousin from Osaka. He was in a bad motorbike accident and now he's well any more…. Ummm not that there's anything wrong with you other than chicken pox is there?" he looked at Sesshomaru anxiously as if he were suddenly sicker than any thought. 

"No. I'm fine except I'm tired and my head hurts again." He replied as they entered Sota's room. Sesshomaru looked around amazed at all the stuff in there. He thought it was cute the way Sota fussed over him and it reminded him how much he missed his Rin-chan. _"I hope she is alright with that idiot Jaken looking after her."_ He thought as his head hit the pillow. 

Lost in thought he never noticed Sota go over to his closet and hunt around for a while before returning with something soft and yellow.

"Seeing as you're a fellow Pikachu fan and all… well I thought you might want to rest with him." Sesshomaru took the plushie and cuddled it as Sota tucked the blankets under his chin.

"Wait here while I go get Mama!"


	10. Moments in a Dark Room

Chapter 10: Moments In a Dark Room

"Hey Mom!" Sota called, running down the hallway. From the soothing darkness of her bedroom, Kagome saw him run past her doorway, casting crazy shadows on her bedroom wall as he continued down the stairs. In all the time that had passed since Inuyasha had fallen asleep, she hadn't moved from the side of the bed where he lay. She had heard her Jii-chan and Sota come home a few hours ago, and she had listened longingly to the sounds of laughter and happy conversation that floated up from the dining room as her family sat down to dinner together. She had heard Sota bringing Sesshoumaru up to his room when dinner was over, yakking about Pokemon the entire way. She had been hoping that Sesshoumaru would stop in to check on his brother before retiring, but he hadn't. She supposed that it was possible that she had imagined the concern that she had seen in the youkai's eyes earlier that day, a result of wishful thinking on her part. Oh well. She had enough to worry about right now without dwelling on the unfortunate relationship between the boy she loved and his onee-san. She sighed as she picked up the washcloth that her mother had been using earlier to cool Inuyasha's forehead and began to sponge the dried calamine lotion off of his body. As she wiped the damp cloth over his forearms and shoulders, working her way to his chest and stomach, she sang softly to herself. 

_"Deatta ano kora wa, _(Back then when we met,)

__

subete ga bukiyou de (it was all awkward)

__

toomawari shita yo ne, (we went the long way, didn't we?

__

kizutsuke atta yo ne…" (we got hurt, didn't we?)

All around her, Kagome could hear the sounds of her family settling down for the night. She heard her mother telling Sota to sleep in Jii-chan's room, and she heard Sota complaining that Jii-chan snored like a bear, which the old man denied fervently before smacking Sota lightly upside the head and telling him to respect his elders. She heard her mother wishing them both sweet dreams, then walking down the hall to Sota's room, where she wished 'Sessho-kun' a pleasant evening as well. She listened as her mother's light footsteps continued down the hall, stopping right outside the doorway to her room. Her mother stepped quietly into the room, the light from the hallway spilling in behind her, casting her in shadows, but Kagome could see that she carried the spare futon and a pillow in her arms. 

"Goodnight, Kagome." her mother whispered as she handed her the bedding. "If you need anything during the night, I'm right down the hall." 

"Arigatou, Mama. Goodnight." Kagome kissed her mother on the cheek, and went about the task of setting up her own little bed on the floor. When she was finished, she decided to change into something more comfortable, to settle down for the night. She went through her drawers and found a short, lavender nightgown. She was about to change into it when she noticed something red lying on the floor near the bed. It was the stupid 'Hamtaro' T-shirt that her mother had brought home for Inuyasha. Feeling only a little silly, she brought the shirt up to her nose and breathed in deeply. There was no mistaking it; it smelled strongly of Inuyasha's scent. 

'Well…' she thought to herself, smiling at her own foolishness, 'As long as he's not using it…' Making sure that he was still asleep, Kagome quickly undressed, then pulled the T-shirt over her head. Maybe it did look a little ridiculous, but it was soft and comfortable, and his scent was all over it. 

'I'm sure I'll have good dreams tonight.' she thought, then giggled when she realized that that could be taken more than one way. However, as much as she liked dreaming about Inuyasha, she was nowhere near ready to sleep, so she resumed her place at his side, this time sitting on the edge of the bed and staring down at him. She grabbed up the washcloth again and carefully started to wipe his face clean. 

__

"…Itsuka eien no (…Until the day I reach eternal sleep,) 

__

nemuri ni tsuku hi made (That smiling face will) 

__

douka sono egao ga taema naku aru you…" (have to stay with me without fail…) 

Perhaps it was the sound of her voice, or the coolness of the washcloth against his skin, but either way, Inuyasha began to pull himself from out of his fever-induced coma. As she wiped around the bridge of his nose, his eyelashes began to flutter. Kagome gasped as his arm shot up, catching her wrist in mid-swipe. His eyes popped open, staring strait into hers. 

"Hello." she said softly, smiling down at him. "Welcome back." It took him a moment to find his voice, but when he finally did, he asked,

"Where is everybody?" 

"They've all gone to bed." she whispered, placing a finger to her lips.

"Sesshoumaru?" he asked, lowering his voice to a whisper.

"He's sleeping in Sota's room."

"Stupid Pikachu sheets…" Inuyasha mumbled, smiling to himself. "Sota's not in there with him?" he asked, suddenly concerned.

"No, he's bunking with Jii-chan." Kagome laughed.

"Poor kid…Higurashi-jiji snores like a beast. I think I can hear him from here." Inuyasha said, smirking. Then suddenly his mood changed, and he flashed Kagome a very serious look.

"Your mother left you in here alone?" he asked. "With me?"

"Why not?" she said, flippantly. "It's not the first time you've spent the night. Besides," she teased, "you're hardly in any condition to give her something to worry about."

"Hey, I'm a lot stronger than you think." he said, struggling into a sitting position.

"Oh no you don't!" Kagome said firmly, pushing him back down onto the bed. "You need to rest or you'll get sick again." 

"Again?" he asked, confused.

"Are you serious?" Kagome said, giving him a funny look. "You gave us all quite a scare! You don't remember?"

"No, I don't remember." he said, furrowing his brow.

"You were violently ill…" Kagome said incredulously. "you kept throwing up?"

"Nope." he said, shaking his head.

"You were…calling for your mother. You thought Sesshoumaru was your oyaji…you…you…cried." she said, her voice thick with emotion.

"Feh!" Inuyasha snorted disdainfully. "You're making this up."

"No, I'm not!" she said, her eyes filling with unbidden tears. "I was really scared! You weren't yourself, you were delirious!" 

"If you say so." he muttered.

"You don't remember anything?" Kagome cried. Her words seemed to prod at something hidden within him. For a brief moment, his cheeks flushed and he refused to look her in the eye.

"Inuyasha?" she said, questioning him with her eyes.

"I remember dreaming…" he finally said, vaguely. "You said something to me…"

"What did I say?" she asked, moving closer to him. For a moment, he seemed on the verge of confessing, but then he quickly turned his head away from her.

"It was only a dream." he said quietly. 

"Dreams can be strange." Kagome admitted, her heart pounding in her ears, "but let me see if I can guess anyway. In your dream, did I say…did I say 'I love you, Inuyasha'?" She stared at him, holding her breath, afraid that if she were to move or make another sound, the whole world would fall to pieces. At first, she was met with silence, but then he brought his gaze up to meet hers. 

"How did you know that?" he whispered.

"Because," she said, taking his face in her hands "I said that to you while you were sleeping." 

"…K-Kagome…" Inuyasha breathed, drowning in her blue-gray eyes.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" she whispered back, her face inching ever closer towards his.

"Why are you wearing my shirt?"

In another dark room, down the hall, Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western Lands, lay curled up in a bed much to tiny for his imposing figure, snuggled beneath several layers of Pokemon blankets. He hadn't been able to sleep much, as may serious thoughts plagued his troubled mind, keeping him from slumber. Not the least of which, though he would be hard pressed to admit it, was the condition of the whelp. It disturbed him, slightly, that Inuyasha had succumbed so thoroughly to such a mild illness, to the point of delirium and hysteria. It was that cursed mix of blood that ran through his half-brother's veins that was to blame. What had Chichi-ue been thinking when he paired with that human wench… 

__

*thump!* 

Sesshoumaru's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of soft knocking on the far bedroom wall. If he wasn't mistaken, that wall was shared with the girl's room… He trained his ears in the direction of the wench's bedroom, listening intently. There was another thump, this one a little louder. He remained still, straining to hear what was going on in the other room. Soon he was rewarded with the low sound of Inuyasha moaning in pain. It occurred to him that his brother was probably thrashing about again, hallucinating. That weak human girl would need help restraining him, or he was liable to hurt himself…or her… Not wishing to wake the rest of the household, Sesshoumaru rose from the bed and stealthily left the little boy's room, creeping down the hall as silently as death itself. As he approached the doorway to wench's bedroom, the noises grew louder. Seeing as how there was no door to knock on, he slipped into the room unannounced. His hand fumbled on the wall next to him for a few minutes, until he found a switch similar to the one that he had seen Sota use to turn on the lights in his bedroom. He flipped it up, and the room was instantly bathed in bright, unnatural light. He looked over at the bed in time to see Inuyasha turning to look at him over his left shoulder, an angry glare on his face. Sesshoumaru stared at his brother, confused, until a second later when, from behind Inuyasha's bare shoulder popped the flushed, startled face of the Higurashi girl. 


	11. Midnight Madness

Chapter 11: Midnight madness

"What the hell do you think you are doing?!" Sesshomaru hissed at them. "Or does Higarashi-sama permit this sort of thing?"

"Shut up asshole and leave us alone!" Inuyasha said as he went back to nuzzling that particularly soft and warm spot on his beloved Kagome's neck.

"Inuyasha…please! Now is not the time to start something with Sesshomaru." She whispered softly at him as she tried to push him off herself. "Don't make me say it…" she warned as well. 

"Listen to your wench. With all the noise you two were making, it is little wonder the rest of the household isn't up as well." He sighed. "And judging by the looks your wench keeps giving the door, or should I point out, that there is in fact no door, I would say that Higarashi-sama would have your head if she caught you here like this." He gestured towards them with the forgotten plushie he had brought with him. "Granted you were violently ill before to the point of madness, I might add….but trust you to recover quickly like Chichi-ue!" He took a deep breath to go on as Kagome tried to shush him, as his voice had risen like his anger. "Baka kusotare! You are as bad as he!" He chuckled low in his throat instead as he became caught up in a memory.

"You're the Baka kusotare! What are you mumbling about? Do you have a fever again? Or are your brains fried from the last one?!" Inuyasha taunted. 

"Guys!!! Please you're gonna wake Mama!!!"

"No you asshole! I was just remembering how we wound up with you; that's all!!!"

"Hunh? What do you mean by that….? Just what are you implying Sesshomaru?" 

"Nothing…" Sesshomaru said with a satisfied smirk. Having achieved what he set out do, for Inuyasha had gotten off the wench and was now out of bed, he was ready to leave for he trusted the wench to do the right thing and heed his unsaid warning. Turning around he was just as surprised as everyone else to see Higarashi-san standing there in the doorway rubbing the sleep from her eyes. 

"What is going on here? Boys… Kagome? Is everything alright?" she asked softly. 

Kagome blanched as she knew from her mother's quiet tone that she was in big trouble, and quite possibly Inuyasha as well. Nothing prepared for what came next as she tried to think of something to say. 

"Gomen Higarashi-sama, I am sorry if I had awakened you. I believe my brother is still a bit ill and he was giving your daughter a hard time about remaining in bed resting. It appears she was trying to…" he thought for a minute as he had no idea how long Higarashi-san was standing there since he never heard her approach as he was too upset about the scene at hand, "ah….haul him back in bed by herself as she did not wish to disturb anyone and the whelp in his delirium had gotten the wrong idea. I came in as soon as I heard her cries for help. As you can see she is alright. I was just about to ask her if she would like for me to stay here instead. I am feeling much better now; as you can see my spots are fading or rather falling off. I am most willing to sleep here on the floor. In fact I find it more comfortable than the softness of the bed." He flashed her, what he had hoped was a winning smile. 

Higarashi-san stood there a minute longer looking from one face to the next as she was certain she smelled a lie, but she couldn't be sure just what was being lied about. _"He may have lost a few of his spots, but Sessho-kun is still much too pale for my liking…Inuyasha is sulking and he really doesn't look all that sick now…a bit on the pink side, but not as bad as before," she thought. "And the look on Kagome's face reminds me of the time Buyo got into the frozen fish I had thawing on the counter…. Yet I know she's a good girl and all…"_

"Very well Sessho-kun, you're sure you'll be alright here on the floor?" Higarashi-san walked farther into the room and over to a very quiet Inuyasha. "Let me feel your head and see if maybe your fever is returning again." She reached up to find he was only slightly warm instead of the raging fever his brother claimed he had. "You know I'd much rather you take some more Tylenol than chance it; even if you aren't all that hot. Kagome Dear, why don't you come downstairs with me and help me find it?" She said as she propelled her daughter out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchen. 

"Just what the hell did you think you were doing Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha said menacingly to him.

"Shut up Whelp! I was just covering for you! I am now certain that if it were Higarashi-sama who came in to find you all over her daughter and not myself, I'd be taking out the Tensaiga and reviving you so that when we got back I can use the Toukijin and have the pleasure of killing you myself! First you inherit Chichi-ue's unfortunate taste in women then I find you have inherited his insatiable lust as well! Are you so enamored of running around without your shirt that you must also run about without your pants! Higarashi-sama has been most kind to offer us hospitality and to treat us as her own sons and you repay her by bedding her daughter! Fool!" He glared at his younger brother and then his face softened. "I see I have been remiss in my duties to you because of…. Well never mind what. Just know that you have a good thing here…and you were about to go and blindly not to mention foolishly throw it all away for a moment's pleasure! Grow up Inuyasha and think with your head and not with your manhood! If I were you…" he trailed off silently and Inuyasha sullenly waited for him to go on. "I…I would treasure what I have here… for it is a far greater treasure than the one Chichi-ue gave you." He sighed and looked at Inuyasha, "Understand?"

"Feh!"

"Inuyasha…please listen to me…for once in your life; don't be an idiot!" And as Inuyasha looked up to meet his brother's gaze; smart retort ready on his lips, he was shocked to see for just the briefest of instances, all the pain and loneliness that Sesshomaru carried around with him before his icy mask snapped back into place. 

"Sesshomaru…..I…I…" he said in a soft voice. 

Kagome who also found herself under similar scrutiny, tried to sort out her feelings as she silently followed her mother down the stairs to the kitchen. She didn't like the fact her mother was so quiet either, and she worried she had broken the bond of trust between them. Several times she started to say something to her only to be silenced by a look from her mother. So it was with a mixture of dread and relief that her mother finally spoke to her as she moved about the kitchen getting together the stuff to bring back upstairs. 

"Kagome dear, what was going on there in your room?" Higarashi-san gave her daughter a look, that said she wanted to know, yet didn't want to as well.

"Nothing Mama! I swear it! I'm actually glad Sesshomaru found us as I'm sure something would have happened…."

"No Kagome….."

Kagome inwardly cringed at the disappointment she heard in her mother's voice. Screwing up her courage she went on, "Mama…I'm soooo confused…at the time being with Inuyasha felt sooo right and I really, really, really wanted to be with him at that moment…I guess I wasn't thinking was I? Please don't be disappointed in me…. I did hear your voice in my head telling me not to do it…" She looked up at her mother and gave her a half smile. "But then there was this other voice telling me to just give in already and get it over with….and ….I'm just sooo confused…I wanted to be able to talk to you first, but things didn't work out that way, did they?" Her lower lip trembled as she fought back tears. "Oh Mama I'm so sorry if I've done anything to hurt you! Please Mama! It's all my fault…please don't be mad at Inuyasha….in his time…in his time… I'm sure he'd make you a fine son-in-law." She joked through her tears. 

"It's ok Dear…I'm just glad nothing happened that you two would later come to regret. Besides I want you to know that however disappointed I am with you for behaving this way…I'm pleased you actually listened to something I've said to you…" Higarashi-san made a "you know kind of face" at her daughter. So when Kagome looked at her blankly, she elaborated. "Uhhh…Kagome dear…The other day when you were home last and you asked me to do your laundry…and well, I didn't mean to snoop or pry into your privacy or ummmm…well…let's just say I found a big box when I put your things away…."

"Heeeh…" Kagome turned beet red as she caught her mother's meaning. "Mama….never mind."

"Come dear, we're all tired and it's getting later and later. I want to give this to the boys before they fall asleep again. Besides we can talk more in the morning if you like." So they walked up to find Sesshomaru curled up on the floor and Inuyasha staring at the ceiling. 

"Here's the Tylenol if you need it and some water. Goodnight boys." Having set the Tylenol and water down on Kagome's desk, Higarashi-san turned to leave.

"Higarashi-san…"

"Inuyasha…I'm tired and we can talk about it tomorrow, ok. Good night." Turning off the lights as she left, Inuyasha followed them in his mind as he listened to the two sets of retreating footsteps. He was pleased Higarashi-san wasn't angry with Kagome as he could hear from the muffle tones coming through the wall that things were bettered than he hoped. Now all he had to do was make sure Sesshomaru was asleep as he had to talk to Kagome. So he lay there for what felt like forever as he listened to his brother's breathing even out into the soft snore that signaled he was asleep. Getting up he started to make his way to the door when something caught his ankle in a vise–like grip.

"Where do you think you're going?"


	12. A Quick Game of Hide and Seek

Chapter 12: A Quick Game of Hide-and-Seek

Inuyasha froze, momentarily flustered, but he quickly recovered with a plausible excuse. 

"I have to take a piss. Is that alright with you?" he said sarcastically.

"No you don't." Sesshoumaru countered. "Get back in bed."

"Hey! Asshole! Let go of my leg before I piss on you!" Inuyasha growled.

"Fine." Sesshoumaru said, releasing his brother's ankle. "I'll accompany you to the washroom."

"If you insist." Inuyasha said, grinning evilly. "But you're going to be waiting outside the door for at least twenty minutes. I have to take care of something." There. If that didn't discourage Sesshoumaru, nothing would. 

"You are absolutely repugnant." Sesshoumaru sneered distastefully, wrinkling his nose.

"Hey, don't blame me! If you had stayed in your room for another fifteen minutes or so, I wouldn't have this problem." Inuyasha said angrily, shifting uncomfortably in his pants. Sesshoumaru began to massage his temples with his one hand, covering his eyes. 

"I refuse to stand out in the hallway while you…you…" for once, he was at a loss for words. 

"Fine by me!" Inuyasha said, heading for the door. Sesshoumaru grabbed him by the hair and yanked him back. He spun Inuyasha around, quickly adjusting his grip by grabbing his hair at the roots, close to the skull, and lifted his brother right off the ground.

"You're not going, either." he whispered venomously.

"Let go!" Inuyasha snarled through clenched teeth, unwelcome tears of pain pooling in his eyes. Sesshoumaru released his grip on the hanyou's hair and he dropped to the ground with an soft _*thud*._

"Fine…" Inuyasha said softly and menacingly. "I'll do it in here and you can watch, you hentai yaoi." 

"You will NOT." Sesshoumaru hissed. "Unless you want me to remove it." To illustrate his point, he raised his claws in front of his face, and they began to glow with an eerie, green light. Understandably intimidated, Inuyasha closed his mouth and climbed back into bed. He lay on the bed for what seemed like an eternity, though it was really only ten minutes or so, tossing and turning restlessly, anxiety eating away at the pit of his stomach. He just had to see Kagome! After a few more excruciating minutes, he leapt out of bed and ran for the door.

"GET BACK!" Sesshoumaru warned in a low voice.

"But I really have to piss this time!" he whined.

"I'm getting very tired of this, Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru sighed, lifting himself off the ground. "I will accompany you to the washroom, and I will be waiting outside the door. You will have five minutes, not a second more. If you are not out in five minutes, I am coming in to get you, regardless of what you may be doing in there. And I feel it only fair to warn you that I am in NO mood for games. Have I made myself clear?"

"Fine! Can we go now?" Inuyasha asked anxiously. 

"Go." Sesshoumaru barked, placing his hand in a steel-trap grip upon his younger brother's shoulder. They left the room and walked silently down the hall to the bathroom. When they got to the door, Sesshoumaru shoved Inuyasha roughly inside. 

"Five minutes, Inuyasha, and I mean-" the rest was cut off as Inuyasha closed the door in his face, locking it behind him. With Sesshoumaru safely on the other side of the bathroom door, Inuyasha slid open the bathroom window and climbed out onto the roof. 

_'Now let's see…'_ he thought to himself. _'Where did Higurashi-san put my Kagome?' _Following his nose, Inuyasha soon found himself outside Sota's bedroom window. 

_'Yep.'_ he thought, taking a deep breath. _'She's in here.' _Carefully, he leaned over the gutter and slid the window open. Then he let himself go into a controlled fall, turning in midair and catching the sill in both hands. He quietly pulled himself into the room and crawled over to the bed where Kagome lay sleeping. Gently, he lifted the covers and slid in next to her. As she began to stir, he gently clamped a hand over her mouth and whispered directly into her ear.

"It's me. Don't scream or say anything. Sesshoumaru's right out in the hall and I only have a few minutes. I just needed to talk to you." He started to pull his head away from her ear, but the irresistible scent that seemed to emanate from that area between her ear and shoulder froze his there, and rather than pull away he dropped his head down and started sucking on her neck. Turning her face slightly, Kagome whispered into his ear.

"I thought you wanted to TALK?" she breathed. 

"G-gomen…" he whispered back, flushed from excitement and embarrassment. 

"Well?" Kagome whispered when he merely stared at her silently for a few seconds. 

"Well, I just wanted to make sure that you were Ok. I mean, with what happened back there." he mumbled. 

"I'm fine, Inuyasha." she whispered. "It was just a little sudden, that's all. And being discovered like that, first by your brother, and then by my Mom…it kinda freaked me out. But I'm fine with you, Inuyasha, and that's all you need to know, so don't worry." 

"I'm happy." he whispered back, looking up at her with the sweetest expression on his face. Unable to resist his puppy dog eyes, she leaned down and kissed him on the mouth. He instantly responded, deepening the kiss until she reluctantly pushed him away. 

"I think we've had enough excitement for one night." she whispered, smiling at him. "You'd better get back before you're missed." 

"I don't care." he said, kissing her again lightly. "It was worth it. Kagome?"

"Yes?"

"I- I love you."

"I love you, too, Inuyasha." With that, he scooted out of the bed and crawled out onto the windowsill.

"Kagome?"

"Yes?" she giggled, making shooing motions with her hands. 

"Can I have my shirt back?" he asked, grinning wickedly.

"Hentai!" she gasped in feigned shock and outrage. "You just want to see me topless, don't you?"

"Yes, Higurashi-san." he teased softly. 

"Well, alright. You can have it back, but only because there are plenty of Sota's in here." She stood up and gave him a half silly, half seductive look. He sat back on his heels, his arms resting on his knees, perfectly balanced despite the fact that he was crouched on a five-inch wide windowsill, waiting eagerly. She slowly pulled the shirt over her head, then stood there in nothing but a pair of purple panties, moonlight falling softly on her body, gracing her with a glow that was unearthly beautiful, and all for his admiring eyes. It was a perfect moment. That is, until the doorknob to Sota's room was turned and the door opened, revealing a dangerously angry Inu youkai. Kagome's first reaction was to turn around, which she did, giving Sesshoumaru a full view of what had been intended solely for his little brother's eyes. After an awkward second of shocked gasps on either side, Kagome spun around, throwing the shirt to Inuyasha who caught it up in one hand and with the other, pulled himself up onto the roof. Kagome then dove under the covers and pulled them up over her head. Growling in his throat, Sesshoumaru turned around and left the room without a word, quietly closing the door behind him.

He stalked down the hallway, back to Kagome's bedroom. He entered the room just in time to see Inuyasha swing in through the open window, now fully dressed. He was about to open his mouth to speak when Sesshoumaru cut him off, slapping him full across his face. 

"I knew I couldn't trust you to control yourself with that girl." he spat, trying to keep his voice low and even so as not to awaken the rest of the household yet again. 

"You hit me like a woman?!" Inuyasha choked out, glaring at his onee-sama with rage and disbelief. "Like a god damn child?!"

"You're acting like a god damn child!" Sesshoumaru snarled, losing his composure entirely. If the house had been big enough to allow it, he would have transformed and mauled the hanyou with his own teeth. "You think you can just take what you want, wherever and whenever you feel like it?" 

"Look who's talking!" Inuyasha countered hotly. "Have you forgotten that you once ripped my eyeball apart just to get a god damn sword that didn't even belong to you?!" 

"Chichi-ue made a mistake!" Sesshoumaru cried. "It was a lack in judgment, and all because that stupid human wench poisoned his mind!"

"Watch it asshole!" Inuyasha growled dangerously, bearing his fangs. "That 'wench' you're talking about is my mother!"

"Don't you bear your teeth at me, Koinu!" Sesshoumaru snapped. "How could I possibly forget? I have to see her face every time I look at you! Your lineage is so obvious! How unfortunate that you weren't born with father's face and your mother's mortality. At least then you'd be a geezer by now, and I'd be spared your infantile behavior and stupidity! But no, you were born with her stupid face, and Chichi-ue's nasty habits." 

"Well I'm sorry Sesshoumaru, but not everyone has ice-water running through their veins! Some of us have needs and desires!" Inuyasha said defensively. "If Chichi-ue took pleasure in a human woman, I'm happy for him. I can only hope that someday I'll know such happiness myself, that is if you ever get off my back! I'd rather be like Chichi-ue and love a ningen woman every day of my life than be a cold, heartless bastard like you!" Sesshoumaru stiffened at that last remark, but his voice remained even and unaffected.

"Don't you dare pretend that you have any idea what my wants and desires are." he said coldly.

"Oh here we go!" Inuyasha scoffed. "Boo-hoo! Sesshoumaru's lived a lonely existence! Well guess what kuso, so have I! Only I didn't choose a life of solitude like you, it was chosen for me. You chased me off your precious Western Lands when I was too little to defend myself! Some threat I must have been at five years old!" Inuyasha spat. "And after I was driven out by my only kin, where was I supposed to run to? I was a fucking abomination! Human's tried to drive me off or kill me every time I neared a village. They thought I was after their livestock or, gods…, their CHILDREN! And the youkai…the youkai were far worse. It's truly amazing that I lived long enough to reach adulthood!" Inuyasha stopped, pausing to take a breath. Sesshoumaru watched him silently, his eyes never leaving his brother's face. The hanyou approached the youkai, attempting to stare him down, and said softly and coldly:

"I blame you, Sesshoumaru." 


	13. Old Wounds Revisited

Chapter 13: Old wounds revisited

Sesshomaru stood and held his breathe, fighting to regain the control he was dangerously close to loosing. It was as if time slowed down for him as the blood sang in his veins and thoughts of vengeance whirled through his mind. Finding the calm within the storm, he grabbed it and held onto it as if he was lost at sea and his life depended on it. So he never really heard the taunting words and insults his younger brother hurled at him. As a deadly calm settled over him he spoke. "You blame me, do you? For what? For stopping from bedding your woman? For stopping you from playing with yourself? For stopping you from ruining what you have here? For stopping you from making an ass out of yourself for the umpteenth time? This is what you blame me for? Or do you blame me for taking on the burden of raising you the way I was raised? I'm sorry Inuyasha, I have no idea what it's like to be petted and spoiled as a child. To be given everything I want because everyone is afraid of offending their Lord. And yes I know there was talk about you and you're being a hanyou and perhaps I failed in stopping it, but I too know what shame is Inuyasha. I know what it's like to be the son of the man who cast aside his wife for a lowly concubine, not only that but a concubine who was beneath him! A mere human! I know the shame my Haha-ue had to endure because of it. But I swallowed it and kept it inside Inuyasha….because you were my brother…. because I had no other brothers and because it pleased Chichi-ue for me to do so! So now you blame me…." He looked at his brother and watched him squirm as he tried to keep a hold on his defiance. "The only thing you can blame me for is not being able to be like Chichi-ue was to you. What I did, I did because I felt I had to. I could see the way you were treated would make you weak. So I did what Chichi-ue did to make me strong. I took you out and left you to fend for yourself. I survived and so did you, Brother." He shook his head sadly and went on, "Then you nearly went and ended it all there in yet another foolish attempt at taking what you wanted without regard for others. Taking without thinking! That's what you're the best at, isn't it? You think you know my wants, my desires, Brother!" He turned and faced the door. "How long have you been standing there eavesdropping Wench?"

"Gomen, Sesshomaru…I heard most of it. You were making noise again and…so I got up to go to the bathroom and I …I just wanted to apologize for you know…before." She tried to look him in the eye but was too embarrassed at her earlier behavior to do so. 

He sighed and went on, "Well, do you think you know my wants and desires too? Do you know I gave up the love of a good woman to watch over you Inuyasha? Do you know she asked me to choose between you Brother and her and when I told her I couldn't, that I wanted both….she left me? Left me alone when I was barely a man with a child to raise that wasn't even mine? When I needed her help….when I desired the comfort of her arms…I had nothing. No help-mate, no lover to warm my bed…no nothing but a worthless brother who thinks only of himself and is so full of self pity that he can't even be bothered to think what consequences his actions might have on others? Want to know why I wanted that damned sword Inuyasha? I know you are dying of curiosity about it! Why? Why; because I needed it at the time for revenge…Inuyasha! Revenge on those who took advantage of Chichi-ue's death to take from me what was mine! Revenge on those who forced your ofukuro to follow him in death so that I was left with you! Revenge on circumstances that left me with nothing because most of what I valued was gone! Revenge on Chichi-ue who foolishly gave you something you're not worthy of! I know differently about most things now, Inuyasha and believe me I could have blamed you for everything…and for a time I did." He sighed and looked away as he frowned. He struggled to keep a tight rein on his emotions as he paused to collect himself and bury the hurt once more. 

Inuyasha started to say something but Kagome put out a hand on his arm and shook her head to stop him. He was angry and he wanted to lash out at something too to ease his pain so he turned on her. "Please," she mouthed silently to him. "Please let him finish."

"Inuyasha if I failed you I'm sorry, I did the best I could. I fought off those who would see you dead even if you never knew about it and all it got me was nothing in return but your contempt and scorn. Hate me if you must; I've been hated before and no doubt will be hated again, and it truly doesn't bother me in the least. But I am beginning to realize things about you and now I think I can see the wisdom in a few of the things Chichi-ue did…and left unsaid to our misfortune." He closed his eyes and pinched the spot on top of his nose between them. "You know your attitude tonight …it …it…" He struggled to find the words. "It is a more grievous wound than the loss of my arm. I don't why it should be that way as according to you I am cold and unfeeling and wait what was it you said? That's it; I am a cold heartless bastard, so why should I be bothered by the words of some mongrel whelp? You know I find I am sicken by your presence. Since this is your wench's room, I leave it to you two to enjoy it without me. Do what you will Inuyasha since you are determined to so anyway." He looked from one to the other and left, walking quietly between them as he headed for the stairs and the freedom they pointed him to. 

As Inuyasha stood there sulking before he cried, "You can't run away from the truth Sesshomaru! No matter how much it hurts to hear it! We're not through here Sesshomaru!" While Kagome tried to get him to stop before something was started that they both would regret, they heard the soft click of the front door as it opened followed by its twin as it closed. 

At the sound Inuyasha seemed to change his mind about following and he ran to the window as if he were about to shout something else at his brother, but instead he stood there watching the silent figure as it walked brooding in the moonlight.

"Where the hell does he think he's going? Kagome he can't do this to me! He can't lay all that bullshit on me and expect me to forgive him as if it never happened. Besides I'm sure he's making half that stuff up! He never once gave a rat's ass about me and we both know it! I could have died out there numerous times and where was he when I needed him? No where in sight! That's where! Stupid shit!" That was followed by more wordless swearing as he cursed himself for walking into the corner of Kagome's desk and catching a toe. 

"Ssshhh! Please my family's trying to sleep here. Besides I thought a big strong guy like you wouldn't be bother by something as simple as stubbed toe. Anyways Inuyasha what ever possessed you to go and hurt his feelings like that?"

"What are you talking about Woman? Why is it you always take everyone else's side? First Shippo, then Miroku, then Kouga, and now my stupid brother?" he said as he ticked the names off on his fingers. "I thought I was the one who was special to you?! You know you sure have a strange way of showing it!"

"Inuyasha…please lower your voice, I don't want to have to explain why I'm here again, stuffed into one of Sota's shirts, while Sesshomaru is out prowling the yard. Listen to me…" She grabbed his shoulders and looked him directly in the eye as much as she could for Inuyasha wanted to look away. "You're right he could have done better for you but he didn't and he as much as admitted it to you, but it doesn't change the fact that it was done good or bad and no one can change that. So get over it! I for one am glad things turned out like this, I mean I love this Inuyasha," she teased. "Not the one you might have been if Sesshomaru was more responsible. But he's not your father either and you shouldn't expect him to be. That's what I learned from my mother after my father died. You know she had to go back to work to support us, so we would have food to eat and a place to live. I had to be both parents to Sota too, so I know where your brother's coming from, and believe me it wasn't easy. All I can say is I'm glad she had Jii-chan to turn to or I might be just like Sesshomaru! He's sorry Inuyasha, sorry for that and for a lot of things. And I'm so tired I don't think I'm making any sense any more. All I know is I'm dying to go to sleep but now I need to find some pants so I can get your brother back inside before someone sees him. I don't feel like explaining why we have a tall long white haired guy wandering around the shrine covered in chicken pox! And did I mention he has one arm too? " She glared at him, tears of frustration in her eyes. 

The tears got him like they always did. "Stay here, Kagome. I'll go get him."

  



	14. You can't hate me, I hate me!

Chapter 14 : You can't hate me, I hate me!

Inuyasha hopped onto the windowsill, his muscles tensing as he crouched down, preparing to jump. Before he did, however, he looked back over his shoulder at Kagome, who was watching him intently and looking absolutely mouth-watering, as she was practically bursting out of that skimpy t-shirt. 

"Unless you'd rather do what Sesshoumaru suggested?" he whispered hopefully, 

"Osuwari, koibito." she sighed reluctantly. The last thing she saw was the hurt and bewildered expression on his beautiful face as he fell out the window. 

Minutes later, Inuyasha managed to untangle himself from the bush he had landed face-first into and took off down the lawn after Sesshoumaru. 

"Sesshoumaru." Inuyasha said, walking up behind his older brother. Sesshoumaru didn't stop or give any other indication that he had heard Inuyasha, he just kept walking. 

"Dammit, come back here!" Inuyasha cursed, breaking into a run. When he was even with Sesshoumaru, he slowed his pace and walked beside him, neither looking at the other as they walked briskly through the moonlight. As Sesshoumaru appeared to have no desire to continue their conversation, it was Inuyasha who finally broke the silence. 

"You are so unfair." he said quietly. "You've been doing shit like this to me my whole life. Worthless, stupid, selfish! All these things and more I've been hearing from you since the day I our father died and you were free to tell the whole world what you really thought of Chichi-ue's hanyou bastard. And you're probably right…" Inuyasha laughed bitterly. "But if you're not happy with who I am or what I've become, then you only have yourself to blame, and you know it. You drop me off in the woods as a koinu, expect me to raise myself and then you criticize me for acting like a wild animal. Look at me, Sesshoumaru. I AM a wild animal! You say you left me out there so that I would grow strong? Well, I am strong, VERY strong, a fact you must be all too aware of whenever you enter a situation where two arms would come in handy." Inuyasha waited for Sesshoumaru to take the bait and bite his head off. He found the cold silence he was met with infinitely more disturbing, so he ventured on in a desperate attempt to fill it. "But you can't have it both ways, Sesshoumaru. Something had to give. What did you expect? That somehow out in the wild I'd learn good graces and table manners? I can't even READ, for crying out loud! If I hadn't learned to use chopsticks by the time I was two, I'd be sitting at Higurashi-san's dinner table licking the food off my bare hands! God damn it, I learned about mating by watching wild PIGS rut! Kagome's one lucky girl, what a catch!" he quipped bitterly, almost choking on his own self-contempt. "And then you act like I'm some big fucking disappointment because I don't know how to act like a civilized person. All that time I was hiding in dead tree stumps and living off stinking carrion, and I never realized that I was supposed to be building myself up into a respectable nobleman." He looked expectantly at Sesshoumaru, waiting for a response of any kind. A grunt or an insult would have sufficed, but he received nothing for his efforts. Desperately, he launched into another diatribe.

"Ok, so maybe it was my fault that you lost your arm, but don't forget that you were trying to kill Kagome, and in case you hadn't already guessed, she's very important to me. Maybe I don't understand you or what your life's been like, but that might have something to do with the fact that we've never talked for more than three seconds without trying to kill one another! And you can deny it all you want, but you don't understand me, either. You have no idea what I've been through. You may have been left to wander as a pup, too, but you were a youkai! No one would have dared touch you, knowing you were the first born son and heir of Chichi-ue. What was I but a bastard half-breed, cast off after Chichi-ue was killed, without so much as the threat of his name to protect me! And by that point, everyone knew that you didn't care whether I lived or died, so I was an easy target for anyone who had hated him or wanted revenge against his family! I faced death every single day, I still do! Let's see, is there anything else you've thrown in my face tonight that I've forgotten to mention? Ah yes, you say I take without asking! Well, what else do I know? If you need something in the wild, you take it! It's not like you can walk up to your prey and ask 'Can I please kill you and eat you now?' And not that it's any of your business," he muttered, "But I wasn't about to take Kagome without asking, either. Things are different here. I don't have to ask Higurashi-san's permission to bed her daughter, it's Kagome's choice, and she was allowing it. But thank you so much for making it appear to her mother that I was trying to take the girl by force, I'm sure that will ingratiate me in Higurashi-san's heart and mind. Who doesn't want a rapist for a son-in-law? You probably did more damage to my reputation in this household with that one little sentence than if she'd caught us in bed together! Why do you always have to treat me like I'm a simple-minded ass? You can believe what you want, but I know when I've got a good thing going, and trust me, I was doing fine here until you showed up! I don't destroy everything I come in contact with, no matter what you say! As for the Shikon no tama…" he trailed off with a gruff sigh. He didn't want to start down that path again, the wounds were still too raw. He looked back over his shoulder at the shrine house, completely dark save for the one window that shimmered like a beacon calling him home. His face was hot and his stomach hurt, and all he wanted to do was to crawl back to Kagome's bedroom and sleep in her arms, letting her delicate scent wash over him until he sank into oblivion. But even these sweet thoughts turned toxic, as he was reminded of Sesshoumaru's admission that he had lost his female, and that he, Inuyasha, was to blame. 

"As for the Shikon no tama…" Sesshoumaru breathed, so softly that even with his superior hearing Inuyasha almost missed it. It was no use. It seemed that Sesshoumaru wasn't about to let him ignore the more distasteful truths about his past; he was going to have to explain himself, whether he wanted to or not. Tonight was to be a night of confessions.

"That was a mess." Inuyasha sighed painfully. "I'm still paying for it." It was a several minutes before Inuyasha felt inclined to speak again, but once he got started, he didn't intend to stop until it was all out. "I got lonely." he admitted. "I had built this little world around myself to keep out all those who would try to hurt me, because everyone I had come to trust in my life had either betrayed or abandoned me," unable to help himself, he shot Sesshoumaru a pointed look that he wasn't even certain the youkai had seen, as Sesshoumaru continued to stare straight ahead, as if he were walking alone. Wondering why he even bothered, Inuyasha continued. "and then one day I realized that I was the only person living inside of it. So when I heard rumors of a miko who possessed a jewel capable of enhancing a youkai's powers…"

"You wanted that power for yourself." Sesshoumaru whispered.

"What? NO! Not exactly. I figured… I figured if the Shikon no tama could make a normal youkai stronger, then maybe it could transform a hanyou into a normal youkai. And then…" Inuyasha said, struggling. He couldn't understand why it was suddenly getting very difficult to breath. "I'd be able to… to go home…and…"

"…and…?"

"And you wouldn't chase me away this time. Cause I wouldn't be some half-breed freak anymore. And then maybe… KEH! Forget it. Let's just say it didn't work out that way. I met someone else, I let down my guard and in return, I got pinned to a tree for half a century. My life, as miserable as it already was, was totally destroyed. And I don't blame anyone for that but myself, not her…not even you." Inuyasha finished, exhausted and a bit apprehensive. He had just revealed his fears, his weaknesses and the most sordid details of his life to a man he considered to be one of his greatest enemies. After a few seconds of complete silence, Sesshoumaru came to a halt. He turned and looked at Inuyasha for the first time since the hanyou had started following him. 

"Are you finished?" he said quietly.

"Yeah." Inuyasha said, a little stunned that he'd finally gotten a response.

"Do you feel better?" Sesshoumaru said, his voice flat and emotionless.

"No." Inuyasha said, swallowing. The youkai turned his back to the boy and started to walk away again.

"Then why are you wasting my time Inuyasha?" he spoke into the night air. 

"That's all I am to you, isn't it?" Inuyasha said quietly. He was speaking to himself, but he knew that the wind would carry his message to Sesshoumaru's sensitive ears. "I'm a waste of your time, onii-san." Sesshoumaru froze, but he didn't turn around.

"What did you call me?" he demanded softly.

"Nothing." Inuyasha responded in kind. "I'm going back to Kagome. You should come, too. You don't smell healthy yet and you'll attract predators if you go back now. Plus if anyone sees you out here, Higurashi-sama's going to be put in an awkward position, and I don't think you want to put her through that after all she's done for us."

Sesshoumaru stood silently for a moment, weighing his decision carefully. 

"Will you behave yourself for the remainder of our stay?" he said finally. "I won't be able to rest properly if I have to keep pulling you off Higurashi-san's daughter every time you feel… restless." 

"Her name," Inuyasha said gently but firmly, "is Kagome. Ka-go-me. She's not a bitch, or a wench, she's not even the Higurashi girl, or Higurashi-san's daughter. She likes to be called her by name. If you have any respect for me at all brother, then you will call her Kagome."

"And if you have any respect for yourself," Sesshoumaru answered, "then you'll behave appropriately toward her for the remainder of our stay." Inuyasha smirked at his older brother.

"That won't be easy." he said. 

"Neither is living with you, but we'll just have to manage." He couldn't be sure, but Inuyasha thought he saw a tiny smile on Sesshoumaru's face before he passed him by on his way back to the shrine house.


	15. Oh Brother!

Chapter 15: Oh Brother!

"One thing, if you're going to have to start behaving yourself here and acting more civilized for a change…" Sesshomaru started, but then stopped as he caught sight of Inuyasha's face in the soft moonlight. He sighed and went on. "Well I for one can't climb up the side of the house in case you hadn't noticed I'm missing some important body parts….Perhaps I'll just fly up there instead." So as he started floating slowly upwards he called to Inuyasha, "Ja ne Oto-chan!" 

"Just a minute Sesshomaru! You can't do that either!" he cried as he reached out and grabbed Sesshomaru's ankle. "Come back here, Maru-chan!"

"What did you say?"

"You heard me, I called you Maru-chan. Remember it's what I used to call you when I was little? You know cuz I had trouble saying your whole name. And come to think of I really don't remember you calling me anything other than 'Koinu'. Puppy, whelp, moron, stupid, asshole; oh yeah! My all time favorite now that I think of it was 'you little shit' and you know why I remember that one so well, Onii-chan? Cause when I called Oyajii that I nearly got my mouth ripped off my face! But the thing that made it all worth it was watching Oyajii beat the crap out you when I told him you said it was a nice thing to call people." He started laughing and was surprised to hear a faint chuckle escape from Sesshomaru as he gently came back down when Inuyasha let go. 

"Well now that our pleasant little interlude of brotherly love is over, shall we walk in the front door instead of using the weh…I mean Kagome's window? You're right I'm still not fully recovered and the thought of climbing back in between those soft Pikachu sheets is a most pleasant one." He shivered in the night air. 

"Why not, it's the least I can do seeing as you actually were listening to me when I told you Kagome's name. You know if you had given me a chance it could have been always like this…"

"Don't push your luck, Koinu, I don't think I can suddenly start all this brotherly shit now as if nothing had ever happened between us and things were different. I'm sorry I don't know if I can ever be the way you want me to be, but if will make you happy, I'll call a 'little shit', ok?" he smirked. "Now get this door open as I really, really need to get some sleep before daybreak." This last was said as Sesshomaru tried unsuccessfully to open the front door. 

"Geeze, you can't hold the Tetsusaiga, you can't be nice to me if your life depended on it, and now you can't open the freaking door? Now who's the stupid one? The moron, the asshole; shall I go on?" Smirking Inuyasha tried to open the door and was met with the same success Sesshomaru had. "What the hell?! What did you do to it Sesshomaru? Break it? Shit! Now we're gonna to have to climb in Kagome's window or we're sleeping out here tonight. Sorry but you're gonna have to pass on those Pikachu sheets." 

"I thought you said we can't climb in there…." The was a brief silence as both strained theirs ears hoping to catch more of the faint whoosh and click that they nearly missed hearing. "Tell me the wench… I mean Kagome, damn it! Didn't just close that window? These windows in her village maybe nice as you can look out them without having to uncover them, but they are very hard to open. Just like this door…." He added dryly. 

"Spare me the sarcasm, Onii-chan, as I don't have time for it. We have to figure out a way to get in without waking up Higarashi-san. Why don't you wait here and I'll go climb up and get Kagome to open the front door for you? I promise I'll be back in five minutes as I know she feels sorry for you and will open the door if I ask nicely. And if I'm not back in five, but say more like twenty minutes…well it's because I finally got her alone without you disturbing me!!!"

"You little Shit! You'd do that too; wouldn't you?! This is how you repay me for being nice to you? Make me wait here outside in the freezing cold while you go bed the wench?! You're stupider than I thought if you think I'm going to let you do that! I'm going with you or you're not going at all!" Sesshomaru glared at him.

Inuyasha glared right back. "I thought it was too good to be true that you'd actually do something nice for me and treat me as a brother instead of some stranger you couldn't trust farther than you could spit! I thought maybe I got through to you Sesshomaru, but I can see I didn't and I'd be wasting my time if I tried. So if you want to come with you'd better come now as I don't plan on waiting for you!" Inuyasha spun on his heel and took off for the side of the house where Kagome's room was. With a roar Sesshomaru took off after him and nearly collided with him when Inuyasha suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Ssshh!" Pointing upwards Inuyasha got Sesshomaru to look up to see the window in question as Inuyasha tried to get him to be quiet and listen. "Look I'm going to chance it and climb up there and hope no one sees me doing it. What I need you to do is keep a look out for anyone coming."

"Why would anyone come here in the middle of night? You mean to tell me there are ningen in this village, who need spiritual guidance at this time of night? Can't they wait until morning??? Then again, I for one am no expert on their ways, so I suppose it is possible…then what shall I do if I see anyone? Should I rip their heads off? I think I can still do it even if I am feeling a bit ill and all. Or would you rather I do something else?"

"Hunh??? Look Sesshomaru, I don't want you ripping anyone's head off, ok? Look, how about when we get back, I find someone for you to do that to? In fact, and noooo it's not Naraku, I'm talking about here, so shut up and listen!" Taking a deep breath and letting it out he went on. "If you want to rip someone's head off like I said I know this stupid wolf Youkai, where that would be an improvement. Anyway you don't have to worry about being fully recovered to do that either. He's such a wimpy excuse for a Youkai and seeing as you're such a big strong Youkai and all… I figure he'd be no trouble at all for you. In fact I can see you handling the whole thing in about five minutes that is if he doesn't kick the shit out of you first. And before you ask me something stupid like why don't I just kill the bastard myself, well I just don't have the time to do it right now seeing as some asshole, who shall remain nameless went and locked us both outside!"

"Don't tell me it's the one that stole your wench now is it?" he laughed. "Well now if I really cared about you and the wench, I mean Kagome… I'd have ripped his head off for you a long time ago, but seeing as you're determined to make me stand out here all night and not get any sleep, you can go and do the job yourself, Oto-chan!"

At that last remark, Inuyasha started to reply, but changed his mind and shrugged instead. After making sure Sesshomaru would call him if anyone showed up, Inuyasha started to climb up the front of the house. Just as he was about to tap on the glass in hopes of waking Kagome up, he heard Sesshomaru call out to him that someone was there. And looking down to see what his brother was talking about he was met by a bright light in his eyes as a man in a strange outfit, that he remembered was called a policeman, asked him "what the heck he thought he was doing up there?"


	16. A Boy and his Dog

Chapter 16: A Boy and his Dog

"Shit!" Inuyasha cursed under his breath. 'What to do, what to do… Don't worry, policeman, we're guests here, please ignore my ears and my brother's tail? No, that's not a good idea…oh well, guess it's time to use my scary face.' Contorting his features into the evilest grimace he could manage, Inuyasha leapt from the roof and landed in front of the stunned human. Baring his fangs and growling murderously, he stretched his clawed fingers apart as wide as he possibly could and crouched down as if he were about to pounce. The policeman took a step back, horrified. 

'Heh!' Inuyasha thought to himself smugly, 'That's right, I'm scary, now get the hell out of here before I actually have to do something.' The policeman didn't move however, as he seemed transfixed to the spot, frozen with terror. A split second later, Inuyasha realized why. A few feet behind him, Sesshoumaru was transforming. 

"Oh hell…" Inuyasha muttered as Sesshoumaru, now in his giant dog youkai form, advanced on the helpless human. With the massive beast's first step, the policeman found his legs and, much to Inuyasha's dismay, his voice as well.

"AHHHHH!!! MONOKE!!! MONOKE!!!!!" he screamed, tearing down the front steps and diving into his car. Seconds later, he was speeding recklessly away from the shrine house, lights flashing. 

"Great. Just great." Inuyasha sighed, turning around to face the giant monster that was his only living relative. As he stalked over to kick some sense into the youkai Sesshoumaru, an enormous bead of drool rolled off it's giant pink tongue and hit him squarely on the head, saturating him in saliva. 

"AAAAARHG!!" he screamed, "What the hell do you think you're doing, Sesshoumaru?" In the blink of an eye, Sesshoumaru had returned to his humanoid form, grinning faintly. 

"I just got rid of that human." he stated simply, a little satisfied with himself at his own ingenuity. "Now show me some gratitude by getting that door open."

"You say _I_ can't control myself?" Inuyasha cried, "What did I just tell you about trying to keep a low profile around here?!" 

"I was just following your lead." Sesshoumaru said innocently. 

"I DIDN'T TURN INTO A TWENTY FOOT MONSTER!!" Inuyasha screamed in his face. 

"Could you back up a bit?" Sesshoumaru said disgustedly, "You're covered in-"

"YOUR SPIT!!!" Inuyasha howled. "I AM COVERED IN YOUR DOG DROOL! THIS IS THE SINGLE MOST DISGUSTING THING THAT I HAVE EVER BEEN A PART OF!"

"Inuyasha!" an angry voice called in a loud whisper from somewhere behind him. Feeling that impending doom was about to come crashing down upon his head, he turned slowly around to see what Sesshoumaru was already smugly grinning at. Kagome standing in the doorway, a very tired and irate-looking Higurashi-san standing behind her.

"Get in here NOW!" Kagome whispered harshly, pointing to the ground and stomping her foot.

"Look at that…you did manage to get the door open after all..." Sesshoumaru breathed softly, too soft for the humans present to hear, but loud enough for the hanyou. He walked past Inuyasha into the house, nodding politely to either woman as he passed, and continued up the stairs to Sota's bedroom. Seconds later, they heard the bedroom door open and close, while Inuyasha stood, unmoving, on the lawn. 

"Inuyasha…!" Kagome warned. 

"NO!" he yelled. "I've had enough of this shit! I'm staying outside!" 

"Inuyasha, please!" Kagome cried through clenched teeth, subtly jerking her head in the direction of her mother. 

"NO!" he said again, but some of the wind had been taken out of his sails at the sight of Higurashi-san's face.

"Young man…" Higurashi-san began, her voice low and seething. Backed into a corner, Inuyasha seemed unable to stop digging his own grave.

"What's this young man crap?" he said condescendingly, "I'm older than you by at least twenty-five years! I should be telling you what to do!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome hissed. "If you don't get in here in the next three seconds, I'm going to go upstairs, wake-up Sesshoumaru and bring him down here-"

"Keh! Go ahead! I'm not afraid of that-" 

"-so he can watch what happens when I say the word one hundred times in under a minute!" 

"YOU-" he growled.

"Osu-" 

"OK! Ok! I'm coming!" he cried, breaking into a run. He made it in two.

"Good lord!" Higurashi-san gasped as he approached, covering her mouth with her hand. "What have you been rolling in?"

"Don't ask!" Inuyasha barked sharply, barging past her and into the house.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded.

"What?" he said angrily. "Trust me, she doesn't want to know!"

"Well that may be," Higurashi-san said crossly, "but what I DO want to know is what you boys were doing out there in the first place! It's 3:30 in the morning, and I was just awakened by growling and screaming, most of which was coming from you, young, er… Inuyasha! I can't believe this! First I catch you in a VERY compromising position in my daughter's bedroom, and don't think I'm so clueless that I don't know exactly what was going on in there, and now this! I don't understand it, you've always been such a sweet boy when you've come to visit us. What's gotten into you today? I know you're not well, but this is inexcusable! Go on, explain yourself! What possessed you to leave the house in the middle of the night and start a shouting match with Sesshoumaru?" As he stared at her angry face, Inuyasha quickly went over in his head the events that had transpired within the last three hours, from Sesshoumaru catching him in Sota's room with a mostly naked Kagome, to the emotional battle in the moonlight, and ending with Sesshoumaru transforming into a giant dog in front of a policeman on the Higurashi's front lawn. This was not going to help his already weakened position in the household. No, he decided, it was better that Higurashi-san never find out. 

"This is a matter between youkai, not humans. It's none of your business!" he growled defiantly. 

"You are a guest in my house, Inuyasha," Higurashi-san cautioned, her voice becoming deadly still, "and you have disturbed my sleep several times tonight. It most certainly is my business."

"Well we weren't in your house, we were outside, so I say it isn't!" he shouted back at her. And that is how a slightly stunned Inuyasha promptly found himself on the other side of the front door as it slammed against his tailbone. 

"GOOD!" he screamed, lightly pounding on the door with the side of his fist so he wouldn't accidentally break it down like he had Kagome's bedroom door. "You hear me in there? I'm GLAD! This is where I wanted to be anyway! Just go up to bed and pretend I was never here! While you're at it KAGOME, why don't you go sleep with Sesshoumaru? You seem to love him so much, and you heard him say himself that he needs a woman to warm his bed!" The door suddenly opened, catching him by surprise, revealing an incensed Kagome who threw a pillow into his arms, then slammed the door in his face. Scowling at only the door again, he hugged the pillow to his body and walked around to the back of the house, where he leapt up into the tree nearest Kagome's bedroom that offered him the best view inside. Shifting his back against the trunk until he was comfortable, he held the pillow against his body and leaned his face into it, keeping one eye open to make sure that Kagome returned to her own room, and not to Sesshoumaru's as he had suggested. The way this night was going, it wasn't completely out of the realm of possibility. He was hot, itchy, he smelled bad, and his hair, still pink from the day before, was becoming stiff from Sesshoumaru's saliva, not to mention the fact that he had just been kicked out of the house. Kagome willingly going to Sesshoumaru's bed was just about the only thing that could have made the night any worse. 

_'She'd better not!' _he thought hotly. This thought was quickly followed by _'Why am I the one who always gets blamed for everything?'_ and _'That kuso Sesshoumaru! He's the one who left the house! He's the one who scared that human away and covered me in slime! He's the asshole that got us into this mess in the first place! He's the one who got me sick with these damn chicken spots or whatever that hell they're called, and now he's the one sleeping in my woman's house! What the hell?!'_ but eventually, all thoughts lead back to _'She'd better not…' _ He eyed the window suspiciously, still waiting for Kagome to return to bed. He'd stay awake till dawn if he had to… but as it always does, exhaustion finally won out, and he fell into a fitful slumber. Which was just as well, because Kagome never did make it back to her bedroom. 


	17. Here comes the Sun

Chapter 17: Here comes the sun.

Kagome stood there leaning against the door trying hard not to cry in frustration at the turn of events. She could hear her Koibito ranting again; this time something stupid about her sleeping with Sesshomaru. _"That would serve him right!"_ she angrily thought. _"How could he even think I would do such a thing?"_ She walked away from the door long enough to calm down before she started screaming back at him, which would further destroy everyone's sleep. As she passed by the living room something caught her eye and she went in to see what it was. _"Oh, that's still here?"_ She thought as she spotted the pillow Sesshomaru had been using when he first arrived. Grabbing it she ran back to the front door opened it, shoved the pillow at him and shut it as quickly as she could. "Fine be an asshole, Inuyasha and stay out there all night! See if care! Maybe I will just go and sleep with Sesshomaru!!!! It'd serve you right if I did!!!" She said softly to him as she ran upstairs towards her room. 

However once she reached the top of the stairs, she quickly changed her mind. "Gods he's acting worse than he does when Kouga-kun's around! I bet he's up that tree that looks right into my room, waiting to see if I'll return. You know what Inuyasha; I don't feel like sleeping right now!" She stood there in the shadows staring at the place where her door should have been, tears now spilling down her cheeks. She knew she was beyond tired at this point and wasn't thinking straight, but she just couldn't help herself. So like a moth to a flame, she made a beeline right to the very place Inuyasha said she should go.

Reaching the door in question, she hesitated. She had by now regained a bit of her common sense and now doubt was starting to set in. Then just as she was about to turn around and forget the whole thing, her hand reached out as if it had a mind of its own and she turned the knob and went in. Heart now beating as if it wanted to be several miles away from her when Sesshomaru discovered she was there, she nevertheless went over to him and called his name softly, thinking she'd leave if she got no response. What surprised her was the one she got.

"What is now Inuyasha? Ok you can sleep here tonight if your bed's wet, but if you so much as make a drop here in mine, I'll kill you….now get out of your wet things and come here…." She tried not to giggle as what he said sunk in her tired brain, but it was too much when he fluttered the Pikachu bedding as if inviting in his baby brother. So she giggled and giggled and still couldn't stop when Sesshomaru woke and hissed, "What the hell do you think you're doing here now, Wehgome? Ka-enchme? Inuyasha couldn't satisfy you so now you went in search of me? I'm sorry I just don't feel that way about Ningen women…perhaps if you give him a few minutes I'm sure he'll be ready for you again." He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and gave her a pained expression when she didn't take the hint. "Leave woman, I'm way too tired for this nonsense. Besides your ofukuro is not exactly thrilled with us, so I know for a fact that satisfying your lusts at this hour is not exactly the thing to do…Perhaps it was all Inuyasha's ofukuro's lustiness and not Chichi-ue's?" the last was said to himself and he looked up hoping that he was having a nightmare and when he opened his eyes she'd be gone, or if in fact she was really there and he was awake, she'd still be gone. However upon opening his eyes, he saw he wasn't that lucky.

"Sesshomaru, we need to talk."

"Nani?? It is fast approaching daybreak and you wish to talk with me? This had better be good; and quick. I really need some sleep. If I don't get any I can't recover from this illness and the longer I'll be here….disrupting your household." He sat up and motioned for her to sit down on the bed too. Seeing her hesitation he quickly assured her he had no intention of bedding her; not now, not in the future, not ever as far as he was concerned no matter how much she begged him. Bristling at first at the very idea that he would actually think she'd beg him for it, she shook her head as she realized he was really joking with her. So she sat down and hugging her legs she began.

"Sesshomaru, what am I going to do with him? I've never seen him behave this way before. Normally when he comes here he's so well behaved…but this time, he's totally crazy! Do you know he told me to sleep with you? As if I'd even consider doing anything remotely like that! Can you imagine?"

Sesshomaru looked at her and sighed. _"I'm going to kill that whelp! The nerve of him suggesting to her I satisfy her lust as if…..Well she is rather pleasing to look at for a Ningen….What are you thinking BAKA! You should be getting her out of here, not thinking of ways to satisfy your curiosity about Chichi-ue's bedding habits!"_ he thought as Kagome ranted on about his brother's short comings from her seat at the foot of the bed. He was pleasantly surprised to find that as she droned on and on her voice started to take on the a quality that was very similar to his Haha-ue's when she would sing him a lullaby. So he nodded off a few times only to be woken up when she would shake him and ask if he was listening. It was after another round of trying to sleep while pretending not to when he looked at her and was rewarded for his troubles by a strangle hold on his neck and a bump on the back of his head, not to mention the ear ache he had from her wailing in his ear. 

"Wehgome?! Wehgome, please woman listen to me and get off! NOW! Wehgome?!" Which is what he tried to say, what he wanted to say, but which came out more like, "WehgmmmmmmaaaWehmmmmplmmmmewmmmmmmtttttnnnnnnuuuffffnooooowwwwhegmmmmaaaaaaaaaaa?!" so he tried prying her fingers off his neck which was hard to do with one hand as he wanted desperately to use that hand to push her off him. Fortunately she took a minute to move away from his ear which he was sure he'd never be able to hear out of again, to look him in the eye. 

"Are you ok, Sesshomaru? You don't look that good." She observed as she backed away enough to get a good look at him in the slowly lightening room. "Are you sure you're ok? You're breathing rather funny" this was said in response to his panting, which he hoped she wouldn't mistake for lust.

"I'm just trying to get my breath back you moron!" he thought. "Hell! I'm now sure of the reason why my brother likes you so much, Wehgome, and gods help your children because I'm sure there's not much brain power going on either of your heads!" 

"I have a splitting headache, if you must know Wehgome and I really want to sleep if you don't mind…."he trailed off hopefully. "Besides I'm sure the Whelp will come to his senses in the morning…oh and speaking of morning…. here comes the sun. Great." He sighed.

"Oh yeah…. Shit! I have a math test today!" She smacked her head in disgust at her failure to do the one thing she set out to do before this whole nightmare started and study. She looked at him as if he could somehow, merely by looking at her, give her the knowledge she needed to pass her Algebra test. "That's what I was doing at the well when this whole thing started. I told Inuyasha I needed to go home so I could study in peace and then you showed up and next thing I know it's six o'clock in the morning and I have a math test in four hours! Come let's go make a cup of tea and you can quiz me!"

"What the hell are you talking….." he shut up at the look in her eye and got up a minute after she did. Grabbing his hand she yanked him out of his reverie and dragged him from the room. She paused before hers, and left him there while she went in and got her text book and grabbed his hand again as she headed for the stairs.

"Wehgome, please slow down or we're going to fall. I assure the tea will wait another minute for you. Then again maybe not." He said as he caught the look in her eye, "Let's go?" They made their way down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Kagome set up the things needed to make tea, while Sesshomaru looked at her math book and tried to figure out what she wanted him to do with it. 

Meanwhile Inuyasha woke up when a squirrel tried to see if his ear was edible. He swore at it wordlessly and it was gone as quickly as it had come. That's when he caught sight of Kagome's room and the fact that the bed was empty. As he rubbed his eyes and looked again, he noticed it looked like no one had slept in it at all. "Why that little bitch… and that bastard Sesshomaru too….I can't believe them! I'm going to kill them when I get my hands on them! Why does he always have to get his hands on my stuff! Kagome!!! I can't believe you'd actually do this to me!!!!"


	18. Putting two and two together

Chapter 18: Putting two and two together 

Sometime around 7:00 in the morning, Higurashi-san rolled out of bed, yawning, and descended the stairs to the kitchen. After the harrowing events of the previous night, she could have benefited from at least three or four more hours of undisturbed sleep, but the agonizing trill of the alarm clock always meant that there were breakfasts to be made and children to be gotten off to school, and today was no different. At least that's what she'd thought, until she reached the kitchen and found that it had already been occupied.

"Ok, check the answers in the back of the book, Sesshoumaru, I'm almost done with this page." Without touching the book, the demon glanced briefly over at the paper that her daughter was furiously scribbling equations onto. 

"Hm. Number seven's wrong." he yawned, leaning back in his chair.

"What? How do you know?" She stopped, pencil poised in midair. Sesshoumaru closed his eyes. 

"It reeks of wrongness…" he said stupidly, a chuckle actually escaping his lips. 

"Sessho-kun, you haven't slept at all, have you?" Higurashi-san said mildly. 

"Not really…" he sang, rubbing his eyes.

"I'm amazed you're even functioning…" she sighed, starting another pot of tea.

"I'm not." 

"Like hell you're not!" Kagome held up the textbook, an astonished look on her face. 

"You were absolutely right!" 

"Don't be absurd." he made a sour face. "That problem was so simple any idiot- Inuyasha could have gotten it right."

"I'm any idiot…"

"Yes you are…" he agreed, nodding his head and staring off into space, his eyes becoming two glassy orbs. 

"…and I got it wrong." She squinted her eyes at the youkai, leaning in to give him a hard, scrutinizing stare. "How did you know that answer was wrong?"

"My brain is more highly evolved." Somehow he managed to keep a straight face. Kagome rolled her eyes and moaned.

"Spare me! Phhh! I'm never going to pass this test!" Propping her elbows up on the table, she buried her face in her hands and sighed deeply. 

"Don't get all…sloppy…" he sighed distastefully. "Wehgome?" He leaned over and shook her after a few minutes when her only response was soft breathing. Her arms collapsed and her dozing head hit the table, hard.

"Aw!" She sat up, rubbing her forehead. "What were we talking about?"

"I don't remember…" 

"Forget it then. Mmmm…what smells so good Mama?" Kagome asked as she stretched her arms over her head, exposing her tummy to Sesshoumaru who sighed and turned his head. The tantalizing aroma of food cooking permeated the air, putting Kagome into higher spirits as she hadn't eaten anything the night before, and the prospect of a good meal suddenly seemed infinitely more appealing than her schoolwork.

"Bread, eggs, sausage…" her mother listed as a tiny knock on the back door caught the attention of everyone in the room. 

"What's that?" Kagome yawned. Sesshoumaru sniffed, then grumbled, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"It's your mother's cooking." he sighed, "It's attracting vermin…" Higurashi-san opened the back door and was not at all surprised to see Inuyasha standing miserably on the doorstep, a dingy pillow under one arm. Before she could say anything, he bowed low and mumbled "Gomen nasi, Higurashi-sama." The simple apology was quickly followed by a loud growling noise, but this time it was coming from his stomach, and not his throat.

"Alright. Apology accepted." she said softly. "But I want you to understand that we WILL be talking about this later." 

"Hai, Higurashi-sama." he said, a bit reluctantly. 

"Come in and have some breakfast then, poor boy, you must be starving." She took the pillow from him and was about to run a hand affectionately through his hair, but she drew it back quickly when she felt how stiff it had become during the night. "One more thing, dear." she whispered so as not to embarrass him any further, "After breakfast, I'd like you to take a bath. Which reminds me," she said a little louder so that Sesshoumaru could hear as well, though truthfully he had heard what she had whispered to Inuyasha moments ago as well, and was stifling the urge to chuckle evilly. "Your clothing should be dry by now. It's on the clothesline outside whenever you wish to change." She patted Inuyasha on the back, urging him to take a seat at the table. He walked around Sesshoumaru, giving his brother a wide berth, and dropped into the space between the youkai and Kagome, crossing his legs underneath him. All polite conversation stopped as he sat down to eat, and a thick tension descended upon everyone at the table. The only one who seemed immune to it was Higurashi-san, who just assumed they were all tired. 

She placed the food on the table, then left the room. 

"Souta! Jii-chan!" she called up the stairs. "Breakfast is ready!" She waited there a moment until she heard the thundering footsteps that announced Souta's approach. Smiling despite her weariness at his endless exuberance, Higurashi-san returned to the kitchen to find that Inuyasha had 'accidentally' knocked over his glass of orange juice, spilling it all over Kagome's study sheets.

"Oops. Sorry about that." he said flatly.

"Oh, that's ok…" she said, straining her words through her gritted teeth like sand through a sieve as she tried to sop the puddle of juice off the study sheets with her napkin. 

"Inunii-chan!" Souta cried happily, running into the room and throwing his arms around the hanyou's neck. More shockingly, however, was that Inuyasha cried out "Hey, Souta!" just as happily and bear hugged the little boy. As he held Souta tightly to his chest, he glared angrily over the boy's head at Sesshoumaru. _'See? I belong here!' _his eyes said, but unfortunately for Inuyasha, Souta began to squirm away from him after only a few seconds.

"Phew! No offense, Inunii-chan, but you stink!" 

"Souta!" Higurashi-san warned.

"And nee-chan," he said, turning to Kagome. "You look awful! Didn't you get any sleep last night?"

"Yeah, Kagome," Inuyasha asked spitefully, "Didn't you get any slee- ow!" he yipped as she kicked him under the table. 

"Is something the matter, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked innocently, playing with a strand of her hair. Higurashi-san looked at the hanyou, expectantly. Not wishing to compromise his successful return to the household, he decided that it probably wasn't the best time to announce his suspicions.

"I bit my tongue." he lied, his voice low and angry as he glowered at Kagome. After that, breakfast was pretty uneventful. No one spoke to anyone else, with the exception of Souta who, despite a mouth full of sausage, chattered incessantly about what he wanted for his birthday in three months. At one point, Kagome asked Souta why it was that he was 'so well rested and hadn't he heard all the commotion last night?' 

"Who me?" he exclaimed, "If I can sleep through Jii-chan's snoring, I can sleep through anything!"

"Souta!" Jii-chan scolded uncomfortably, "We have guests! I'm sure they don't want to hear-"

"But Jii-chan, they spent the night! How could they not hear?"

"That does it, I'm taking my breakfast to the shrine… Good day everyone!" Jii-chan grabbed up a cup of tea and a sweet loaf and zipped out the door. Seconds later, Souta polished off the last of his eggs and declared, "Well, bye everyone! I'm off to school!", causing Kagome to nearly jump out of her skin and cry out "Oh no! I'm not dressed yet!" and run out of the room like her hair was on fire. "Mama! Can you give me a ride in?" she called over her shoulder as she ran up the stairs to her room. 

"Hurry dear, I'll go start the car!" Higurashi-san called back. Rooting through her purse in search of her keys, Higurashi-san looked up at the two young men still sitting at the breakfast table with an apologetic smile. "I'll only be a few minutes dropping her off. You two can occupy yourselves while I'm gone, can't you? Quietly?" she added, with a pointed look in Inuyasha's direction. "I'll guess I'll only work in the afternoon at the shrine today. I'm sure Jii-chan can handle it by himself until Kagome gets home. Ahh, found them!" she exclaimed, holding the keys aloft as she ran out the door. "Behave you two! Jii-chan's not far if you need him!" she called back as the door swung closed behind her. An instant later, Kagome, now dressed in her school uniform, tore down the stairs. As she raced through the kitchen to grab her backpack, Inuyasha caught her by the wrist and pulled her into his lap. 

"Kagome, I have to-"

"Not now, baka! I'm late for school!"

"But Kagome,-"

"Let go!" she cried. Wrenching herself free from his grasp, she sprinted out the back door.

When the whirlwind had settled, the two brothers sat at the table, across from one another, listening to the wall clock steadily tick the seconds away. After a minute and a half, the silence had become so deafening and oppressive that Inuyasha couldn't contain himself any longer.

"Oi. Sesshoumaru."

"Nani?"

"Where was Kagome last night?" he asked accusingly.

"Oh yes, that reminds me…" Sesshoumaru said thoughtfully. "Thank you so very much for sending that wench up to my room after your little quarrel. I did so enjoy being kept up until dawn." Not catching the sarcasm in Sesshoumaru's tone, Inuyasha's blood began to boil.

"What?" he snarled in his throat, his eyes burning with animal hatred.

"Don't get angry with me." Sesshoumaru yawned. "You're the one who made her frustrated."

"You _did_!" Inuyasha growled murderously, his claws digging into the wooden tabletop, leaving four long gouges on either side. "You slept with _my_ woman…" Sesshoumaru raised a bored yet slightly confused eyebrow at the hanyou.

"Didn't you hear me stupid? I said we didn't sleep at all… What are you growling about now?"

"I'm going to kill you," Inuyasha said softly, "and then I'm going to lick your blood off my fingers while I eat your heart...that is if I can even FIND one." Going on twenty four hours with less than two hours of sleep under his belt, Sesshoumaru found himself amused by his little brother's audacity. He even smiled.

"Don't." Inuyasha warned, cracking the knuckles on his right hand. "I'm serious, Sesshoumaru. If you want to live then you'd better start running." Faced with these options, Sesshoumaru began to chuckle. A second later, when it finally occurred to him what he was being accused of, he burst into full-blown laughter.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! DON'T YOU LAUGH AT THIS!" Inuyasha howled as he felt his heart being squeezed violently. "You said you hated ningen women!"

"Oh, Inuyasha…" Sesshoumaru gasped between peals of laughter. "I do! I just happen to hate you more. By the way, you're right, Oto-chan. She does like to be called by her name…except for when you're bedding her….then she likes to be called something else entirely, but I think you're probably to young to hear about such things."

"You're dead! Say one more word and you're dead!"

"Why unleash your anger at me, Inuyasha?" Seshoumaru said mockingly. "I didn't go after the girl… I merely accepted her when she showed up in my room and threw herself at me. From what I hear, you gave her to me freely. Did you not tell her to go to my bed?" 

"You _knew_…you knew she was mine!" Inuyasha cried, his voice straining under the pressure he felt in his chest.

"You hadn't yet claimed her, brother. She was free for the taking, much like the Tetsusaiga was free when you grabbed it right out from under my nose…" 


	19. You're in Trouble!

Chapter 19: You're in Trouble!

"I thought we were all clear on why you can't have the Tetsusaiga, Sesshomaru! Besides we're talking about my woman here! How could you?!?! How go you go and do something like that?? Who do you think you are that you can sleep with my woman? She's my woman Sesshomaru! Hear that! My woman!"

"Well seeing as I'm done satisfying my curiosity….you can have her back. I've decided that Ningen women are far more trouble than they're worth….and well I'd rather have a much quieter mate. Do you know my ear is still ringing from when she screamed passionately into it? By the way Oto-chan she prefers it on taaaahhh……" the rest was cut off as Sesshomaru realized a deadly calm had settled in the room. That's when he was hit by the tsunami. 

It was with an odd mixture of pleasure and dread that he once again battled Inuyasha. Pleasure at way his younger brother appeared to be starting to amount to something as a warrior; dread at the fact that he really was in no position to deal him with at the time. Illness and fatigue combined to make him slower and the fact that Inuyasha always fought better when Kagome was involved also combined to make him slower and Inuyasha that much quicker. Plus he also found his brother's behavior highly amusing. _"Imagine, getting this angry over a stupid woman….Damn you're getting slow Sesshomaru!"_ he thought as he narrowly missed an attack. However much he wanted to rip his younger brother's head off, he was aware that Higarashi-sama would be back very soon and he for one didn't wish to jeopardize his already precarious position in this household. Besides he was one for falling back and regrouping when the odds shifted in his opponent's favor. And shifted they did, for what was once a joke was now something far more deadlier as this time Sesshomaru's fatigue factored into Inuyasha's desire to end his brother's tormenting once and for all.

__

"Damn him damn him damn him! I can't believe he seduced my Kagome that way! I can't believe she actually let him seduce her either! That Shit always manages to get what he wants!" he thought in a blaze of anger. 

"Can't take my sword so you'll take my woman instead, eh Sesshomaru! Did it make you feel good, eh? It's nice to know that while she did you the favor of satisfying your lust, she also did me one last favor, by keeping you up, Dear Brother! I can tell you're slowing down with fatigue there, and I'm going to end this shit between us for good! You know what, Sesshomaru? It's going to give me a lot more pleasure ripping you apart than I bet you got from bedding Kagome!"

"Spare me your whining, Whelp! If you weren't such Baka Kusotare where your woman is concerned, she wouldn't have had to keep me up all night whining about what an idiot and selfish jerk you are, never mind seeking comfort in my arms!" He chuckled then went on, "as if I would actually sully myself by bedding her…." The rest died in his throat as he paused at the sound of Higarashi-san's car pulling back into the driveway. That pause was all the opening Inuyasha needed and he took advantage of Sesshomaru's distraction. Down the two of them went in a heap on the kitchen floor, as they narrowly missed upsetting the low table on their way down. 

So caught up in his blood lust was Inuyasha that he never heard what Sesshomaru did; the sound of Higarashi-san once more entering her house as well as the cheery hello she gave the two of them on her way to see what they were up to. So Sesshomaru took a huge gamble and went limp. Inuyasha on the other hand took the opportunity to wail on his brother like never before as the dam of frustration was broken and all his hurts and grudges against him came flooding through. 

"Inuyasha!! Just what the heck do you think you're doing?!!! Can't I leave you alone for five minutes without you two going at it again??!!!!" Higarashi-san stood fuming at the fight that had broken out in her kitchen. At her whit's end, she reached down and grabbed on to an ear and somehow managed to pull Inuyasha off his brother without suffering any damage herself. Inuyasha growled in pain at her in another time and place most likely would have ripped her to shreds, but something about the look she gave him quenched any thoughts of doing so. 

Stuttering and mumbling incoherently while he tried to think of some plausible excuse that would pacify her, Inuyasha wound up shaking his head and shrugging. Meanwhile Sesshomaru lay there trying to assess his damage while pretending to be out cold. That's when another hand reached out, this time it was attached to Higarashi-san's left arm, and latched on to his right ear. "And don't you dare lie there and pretend you're half dead either Sesshomaru!!! I've just about had it up to here…" she took her hand and held it above her head for emphasis, before going on, "with you two!!!! Let me tell you two something, you have been two of the worst houseguests that I've ever had the misfortune of staying under my roof!!! Do I have to make you two follow me all over the place just so I can keep an eye on you before there's nothing left of my house or do I have to tie you both up and stick you each in a corner so you can sit there in one heck of a time out ??? Are you both listening to me or am I just standing here wasting my time???? Keep this up and I swear I'll throw the two of you down that stupid well and have Jii-chan fill up in hole, knock down the building and plant a huge tree in its place! Now you Mister march your butt upstairs and take a bath right now before you know what's good for you! And you Mister are going to sit here and explain to me why Inuyasha thought you'd look better with a homemade nose job!" Both of them looked at her to see just how dangerous it might be if they defied her before thinking better of it. So Inuyasha raced off to his bath while Sesshomaru thought about how to tell Higarashi-san that the fight was about her daughter's honor or lack of it with insulting her. 

He took a deep breath and decided to tell the truth, which he reasoned was infinitely much better than being caught in a lie. "Gomen nasi Higarashi-sama." He said bowing low before launching into the truth. "Well it all started when I locked myself out last night, although I had no idea at the time that that was in fact what had happen…anyway, Inuyasha jumped out the window…"He looked up in time to catch the pained expression on her face before looking away and going on. "And well he came out to see what was wrong at the Wehgome's urging and I refused to talk to him until he had finished his ranting and then we tried to get back in. The door wouldn't open at first, and both of tried by the way…well that's when the Ningen male showed up and we scared the hell out of him. Which had the desired effect of causing the front door to open if you remember…. Well anyway, I went off to bed and the Wehgome came up to my room and woke me up so she could whine about my brother. Well anyway, I thought I'd have a bit of fun with him when he thought I had bedded her, not that I would ever entertain any thoughts of ever doing so under your roof, but it was just the perfect thing to tease him about and yes Higarashi-sama it was very wrong of me to tease him about such a thing and you have every right to be upset with me about it! Anyway once you left I couldn't resist teasing him yet again about it and that's when the fight broke out…" he gave her his most pathetic look, the one that always made his ofukuro forgive him on the spot, and was surprised at her reaction.

"Sesshomaru! How could you do something like that???!!! That's terrible!!! That's not even something you should joke about. I believe you owe everyone an apology about it!!! I'm just shocked at the idea….well I'm just shocked! I thought much better of you before….but now?? You're supposed to be older and know better than to say such things about your host or their family! I'm surprised at your complete lack of manners" she sighed and shook her head. "I just don't know what I'm going to do with you! Please just go get out of my sight for a while…as I'm very angry with you right now. Just make sure you don't go anywhere near your brother, understand?" Higarashi-san was pleased that she had found the one thing that made him feel a bit ashamed at himself; commenting on his extreme lack of manners and good judgment. 

"Hai! Gomen nasi, Higarashi-sama! I really did not think this would get so far out of hand."

She gave him another one of her disappointed looks and he left, feeling very angry at himself for doing the very thing he warned Inuyasha against; upsetting Higarashi-san so much that she's want him to leave. He wandered around before he found himself back where all the trouble started in Sota's room. Meanwhile Inuyasha was having a nice long soak in the tub. 

__

"Finally I don't have to smell anymore of Sesshomaru's disgusting dog drool on me! And speaking of Sesshomaru I wonder what he's been saying to Higarashi-san?" He thought as he lay back and slid under the water so he could rinse the shampoo from his hair. "They're being awfully quiet down there….it'd be nice if she went and actually killed him for me, but even in his weakened state I don't think Higarashi-san would be able to do it. Kagome, yes; her ofukuro, no." he sighed as he surfaced. "Wish I could sneak out of here and go see her at that school of hers… I don't care what Higarashi-san says I'm sure she'd gonna run off with that stupid Ningen male!" Thoughts similar to these danced around in his head before he got tired of soaking and got out of the tub. After drying off, Inuyasha had to curse at himself, for he had forgotten to get his clean clothing from the back yard like Higarashi-san suggested he do. Shrugging he simply put the soiled ones back on and went in search of her so that he could explain his side of the story and undo any damage he was sure Sesshomaru caused by being the one to go first. So he never noticed the sleeping figure curled up on Sota's bed as he passed by on his way downstairs. 

"Higarashi-sama? Can we talk…now?" he asked in his humblest voice. Calling her softly he finally found her in the kitchen putting away the breakfast dishes. "Higarashi-sama…gomen nasi…..I'm really sorry I started fighting again with Sesshomaru… It's just that he…."

"I know all about what went on when I was out, Inuyasha." She said as she closed the cabinet door. She turned around and faced him, watching him struggle with controlling another outburst. She was pleased that control won out this time and she said softly to him so that he would have to pay attention to hear, "Haven't you learned by now when Sesshomaru is teasing you? I'd say he's mastered the art of pushing your buttons and ticking you off big time and you still don't have a clue he's doing it. But really Inuyasha, can't you learn to think before you act? While what he did was reprehensible it still doesn't excuse the fact that you were doing a very nice job of smashing his face in. Think about it Inuyasha…. Is this the kind of impression you want me to have of you? One of a young man who is violently out of control? Do you really think I'd want my daughter associating with a person like that? Do you?" She smiled at the negative shake of his head. "Anyway I think you owe everyone including Sesshomaru," and she raised her voice when speaking his brother's name for emphasis, before going on. "…An apology. You two are brothers and it's about time you start acting like it. Now go to Kagome's room as I'm still angry with you about what went on here and I'd really like to be alone right now." With that he gave her a sad little puppy dog look, and she desperately wanted to give him a hug as he looked so miserable, but she figured he needed a time out to reflect just as much as Sesshomaru did. Then inspiration hit her and she decided she'd take a little nap on the sofa while the two boys cooled down. 

Meanwhile Kagome struggled her way through school and was getting really tired of everyone asking her if she was coming down with the Parvo virus or anyone one of a number of illness she supposedly had had. Finally it was time for her math test. She sat down and looked at the sheet of paper and she felt like everything she knew about algebra flew out of her head the minute she touched it. It was really fatigue, but she didn't know it at the time when she put "Wehgome" down where she should have written her name and then proceeded to fill in every other answer with, "Sesshomaru says this answer reeks of wrongness" and the rest she wrote "Even an idiot like Inuyasha can answer this question", before putting her head down and surrendering to sleep. 


	20. The Price of Sleep

Chapter 20: The Price of Sleep

Before heading upstairs, Inuyasha made a quick stop off in the backyard to grab his clothing. As he pulled them off the line, he looked at Sesshoumaru's kimono hanging beside them and debated on whether or not to bring them inside as well, or just shred them and leave the ribbons hanging on the line, dancing in the breeze. Finally, he decided that it might reflect well on him in Higurashi-san's eyes if he brought them in, so he reluctantly pulled the silken robes off the line and, rolling them into a ball that he hoped would wrinkle them beyond all recognition, stuffed them under his arm. When he walked back into the house, Higurashi-san was sleeping on the couch with her back to him. _'Damn it!'_ he thought, _'Here I go and do something nice, and she's not even awake to see it!'_ Reverting back to his already foul mood, he trudged up the stairs to Kagome's room where he changed out of the filthy t-shirt and sweat pants and into his clean, comfortable, well-worn and greatly appreciated kimono. He debated burying the soiled clothing in the back yard for a few minutes, then decided against it and threw them underneath Kagome's bed, never to be seen again…or so he hoped. He was about to sit down on the bed when he spotted the bundle of clothing that belonged to Sesshoumaru. For a second, he considered throwing them under the bed as well, never to be seen again…but then decided that he had probably caused enough problems in his brief stay at the shrine house. Grabbing up the bundle, his nose lead him to Souta's room where Sesshoumaru lay catching up on some sorely missed sleeping. 

"Oi! Sesshoumaru!" 

"Go away." he mumbled drowsily, "I'm not supposed to go anywhere near you…" 

"Since when do you care what a ningen woman says? I don't know why, but I brought you your clothing." he said, chucking the bundle at Sesshoumaru's head. It bounced off his shoulder and hit the floor, unnoticed. "Anyway, Higurashi-san wanted me to apologize to you, but I'm not going to because you're an asshole and I hate you. But if you don't want me to rearrange what's left of your face, you'll tell her that I did if she asks, you got that?"

"Fine. Now go away, I'm trying to sleep…" Mere seconds later, he was snoring softly again. 

"Hey!" Inuyasha barked "Wake up, I'm not finished!"

"Don't you ever sleep?"

"When I feel like it." he shrugged. "Listen, my guess is that you're supposed to apologize to me, too, so I want to hear it!"

"You didn't apologize to me." Sesshoumaru yawned, rolling over and pulling the covers over his head in a desperate attempt to escape Inuyasha's voice.

"Yes I did if you want to keep your pretty face!" Inuyasha reminded him, smacking his fist into his palm. 

"Oh, right…" Sesshoumaru mumbled from beneath the Pikachu sheets. "Well then, so did I."

"What? No you didn't!" Inuyasha cried. "I really want to hear it from you!" 

"If I do, will you go away?"

"If I feel like it." he snorted.

"Alright…why am I sorry again?"

"Damn you Sesshoumaru! For saying that you slept with Kagome!"

"I already told you, Oto-chan. I didn't sleep with the Wegome. We stayed up all night fu-"

"Ok, stop right there." Inuyasha interrupted, stuffing his arms into either sleeve of his haori across his chest. "I know what you're trying to do here, and It's not going to work this time. For one thing, I don't smell anything in this room that smells like the stale, left-over smell of mating. You're just trying to make me lose my temper again so I'll get thrown out."

"Well what do you know? You do have a brain after all."

"Stop it. Besides pissing me off, you're also insulting my bitch and her family, not to mention the fact that you've made my life a living hell for the past twenty-four hours, and the past sixty-seven years before that."

"Please, you were asleep for most of those years." Sesshoumaru yawned disdainfully. Speaking of which…" he trailed off as he began to doze again.

"WAKE UP!" Inuyasha yelled.

"INUYASHA!" Higurashi-san's voice called harshly from downstairs. "You'd better not be talking to Sesshoumaru!" 

"I was just apologizing, Higurashi-san!" he called back. His voice was sweet but his eyes were smoldering, and they never left the pile of blankets that hid Sesshoumaru's body. "And he's about to apologize to me, isn't that right onii-chan?" Inuyasha prompted with a soft growl. 

"Oh I'm sorry, all right…" Sesshoumaru muttered bitterly, drawing the blankets more tightly around his body. "Sorry I didn't strangle you when you were born. I could be sleeping in peace."

"Bastard…" Inuyasha growled. "It would kill you, wouldn't it?" 

"Why should I?" Sesshoumaru said, his voice taking on a drugged quality as he fought half-heartedly with consciousness. "No real harm has been done to you. The wegome is still untouched, at least by me, though I can't say what she does when you're not around…" The rest of his sentence was lost as Inuyasha, having heard quite enough and on the verge of losing his temper again, turned on his heels and stomped back to Kagome's room. 

"That bastard never changes!" he grumbled under his breath, flopping down on the soft pink bed. His eyes burned holes in the ceiling as he listened to the airy sound of his brother lightly snoring in the other room, separated by a mere few inches of plaster. Flattening his ears against his head, he did his best to block out the noise before it drove him insane with rage at the fact that Sesshoumaru felt no remorse and had somehow managed to avoid an apology. He tossed, he turned, he held a pillow over his head before finally admitting defeat and leaving the bedroom altogether. He descended to the living room where Higurashi-san was still napping on the couch. He watched her for a moment as she slept peacefully, blissfully unaware and mercifully silent. She didn't snore at all. In fact, he found the light sound of her breathing to be rather comforting. The room was warm and still, and little particles of dust danced in the sunbeams that shot in through the window to land on a particularly inviting spot on the ground near the couch where her head was resting. He loved sunbeams…and maybe he was a little tired… Approaching the sleeping woman quietly, he hunkered down beside her on the ground and leaned his back against the couch. He folded his arms in his lap, closing his eyes as he rested his chin on his chest. As the warmth of the sunbeam wrapped itself around him like a thick blanket, the soft breathing of the woman he desperately hoped to someday call 'mother' lulled him to sleep.

She wasn't sure where she was, some dark room somewhere that was somehow both familiar and foreign at the same time, that may not even have existed in any real time or place, but at the moment she didn't care about the room or the darkness or where she was or even who she was, because at that moment, his eyes were on her skin and his hands were in her hair and he was KISSING her, and she couldn't breath but she didn't care about that either because his hands were warm and his fingers were long and she couldn't see them but gods could she feel them and that was more than enough as they blazed a trail down her spine, slicing away layers of clothing to contact with bare skin as they made their way down, down…what was that noise?

Kagome awoke with a start, her head popping violently off the desk as the deafening bell that signified that changing of the classes came to an abrupt halt. She looked around her in disbelief as the other students in the classroom got up and brought their papers to the front of the room. Looking down at her own paper, she was horrified to see wet spots were she must have drooled on in her sleep. Looking past the spots was more terrifying, however, as she read off what she had put down for answers before she had dropped off into oblivion. 

"Reeks of wrongness?" she whimpered to herself. "What was I thinking?!" There was no way she was handing this test in. Disgustedly crumpling it into a little ball and throwing it to the bottom of her backpack, she snuck out of the room through the back entrance. The whole morning had been a total waste. She'd have been better off staying at home and sleeping in her own bed instead of embarrassing herself in front of the entire classroom. She could only hope that she hadn't made any incriminating sounds that might have given away the content of her dreams…

"Higurashi!" a familiar voice called from down the hall. 

"Houjo-kun!" she exclaimed, turning around to meet him. He ran up to her, something neon-yellow in his hands. _'oh no, not more lizards…' _she thought, hoping that no one she knew was watching at the moment. But as it turns out, he was not gracing her with another of his bizarre home remedies, but rather returning the shirt he had borrowed from her the day before.

"See?" he said happily, offering it up for her inspection, "I brought it back in perfect condition. My mom even washed it. Go ahead, smell it!" Glancing around to make doubly sure that Eri, Yuka or Ayumi were nowhere in sight, she quickly brought the shirt up to her nose, then quickly down again. 

"Mmm… lovely. Arigatou, Houjo-kun." Turning on her heels, she made a beeline for the cafeteria doors, hoping to get lost in the shuffle. She wasn't fast enough. 

"Wait, Higurashi!" Houjo called, his long strides catching up with her short ones easily before she made it to the double doors. 

"Nani? What is it Houjo-kun?" she asked, trying to keep her voice pleasant despite her frustration. 

"Well, you remember yesterday when we were talking about the dance next Friday?" She shook her head sadly in anticipation of what he was going to say next. 

"I'm sorry, Houjo-kun, I don't know what my friends have lead you to believe, but I already have a boyfriend."

"Oh…you do?" he said softly, looking a bit defeated. "Do I know him?" 

"Oh, no…" Kagome stammered, "He goes to a different school."

"Well, he's a very lucky guy, to be dating Higurashi exclusively. He must be very nice. I'll look forward to meeting him at the dance."

"Oh, no! He doesn't dance!" she said quickly. "We won't be going."

"But Higurashi, it's our first formal! I'm sure any boy nice enough to win your heart would be happy to go just for you."

"Ummm…" she said nervously, backed into a corner.

"Kagome-chan!" Yuka shrieked, popping up suddenly from behind Houjo. "You DO have a secret boyfriend! Oh, you have to get him to go with you to the dance! We're dying to meet him!" 

"Yuka-chan, I really don't think it's a good idea!" Kagome said through a forced smile. 

"Don't be ridiculous, Kagome-chan!" Yuka said, smiling right back. "You aren't hiding him from us, are you? It's not like he has a tail, is it?!" she laughed. 

"No, no…he doesn't have a tail!" Kagome laughed as well, only nervously, the whole time thinking _'No, that's his older brother…' _

"Then please, Kagome-chan? Pretty please with sugar on top?" Yuka begged in a high pitched voice, clasping her hands under her chin.

"Um, I'll see what I can do." she lied. _'I can always fake an illness when the time comes…'_ she thought, a little disappointed despite herself. _'I'll probably be in the sengoku jidai next Friday, getting attacked by some horrible monster, no doubt. Especially if that horrible monster happens to be my boyfriend…' _ A loud clanging sound interrupted her train of thought. "Oh there's the second bell! Don't want to be late!" she exclaimed as she rushed away from Yuka and Houjo. Once they were out of sight, she walked out the nearest door, heading for home. _'I'm getting out of here before anything else happens!'_ she thought desperately as she headed for the subway. 


	21. The Sounds of Silence

Chapter 21: The sounds of silence

__

"Baka! I can't believe you nearly missed your stop you fool! Imagine falling asleep like a baby on the subway like that! How embarrassing can you get? Thank goodness I heard the bell before they closed the doors. And it's a good thing too, that it was relatively empty this time of day! I hope Mama won't be mad that I came home so early. Geeze I hope I can make that test up….that's all I needed was Fujikawa-sensei asking me what I meant by 'this answer reeks of wrongness'….gods! Maybe I should come home a week before the next time I have a test and the heck with Inuyasha! I wonder what they've been up to while I was at school this morning. Hopefully they haven't made Mama too crazy!" Kagome thought as she walked up the stairs from the subway and out into the bright late morning sunshine. She also wondered what was up with Inuyasha this morning at breakfast for he was acting really strange. In fact it had reminded her of how he was when he had rescued her from Kouga that first time. _"Don't tell me he was jealous of Sesshomaru helping me study this morning? I hope not as I'm sure poor Mama is going to have one big fight on her hands!"_ she thought as she picked up her pace.

Fortunately the subway stop wasn't too far from her home and she made it home in record time as she practically flew up the long set of stairs leading to the shrine and the area where her house was located. Opening the door she was surprised at the silence that greeted her and she wondered if her mother was lying half dead in a corner somewhere; the result of another battle between the Youkai brothers. Kicking her shoes off as quietly as she could, so as not to draw attention to herself, she tiptoed quietly into the hallway and headed for the living room. Heaving a sigh of relief, she smiled at the sight of her mother napping on the sofa while Inuyasha sat leaning against it, the back of his head inches from her mother's face. He looked so sweet there, sitting in a ray of sunshine while little motes of dust danced in the warm stillness of the room. So she left them there to sleep on in peace while she headed up to her room to do the same. "I can always talk to Mama later about the dance." She thought as she lightly bounded up the stairs, her head filled with images of her nice comfy bed and just how nice it would be to sleep there. 

Then it hit her as she paused just outside her room; she couldn't hear Sesshomaru's soft snoring. _"Oh crap! Where the hell is he? Just when my lovely bed is calling me he has to go and ruin it for me by turning up missing! Damn him!"_ she thought as she took the extra steps down the hall to her brother's room. Panic seized her heart as she noticed the door was open and she hoped that he hadn't decided to go do something stupid like wander around trying to find his way back home or something equally as stupid and trouble making. So she was pleasantly surprised to see him lying quietly on the bed, the end of his fur trailing along the floor like something alive, while her cat Buyo was having fun stalking it. Just as Buyo had pounced and 'killed' it for the hundredth time, a voice asked her what she was doing there.

"I errr…I'm home early cause I fell asleep in class. You know thanks to you, I wrote down 'this answer reeks of wrongness' on about half the answers on my test. I think I wrote 'even an idiot like Inuyasha knows the answer to this one' on the others. Then I fell asleep so I decided to come home and take a nap like everyone else. Why aren't you sleeping like everybody else? Don't you believe in sleeping too?" she asked as she knelt down and picked up her cat. She hugged Buyo close as she once again was up and giving Sesshomaru a small wave goodbye; she headed out of the room, stopping as she heard him speak. 

Turning to face him, she saw him shake his head. "I can't sleep…I tried to; then my brother came in to remind me of how much I have wronged you….I've been thinking about how I should apologize, like Higarashi-sama suggested…. But I'm sorry, I've just never felt the need to apologize to a woman before, let alone a ningen one…" he looked at her eyes full of uncertainty.

"Well… 'I'm sorry' is a start….wait a minute; just what did you do to 'wrong me'? Anyway I should be apologizing to you for keeping up last night. I know it must have been a real treat hearing me carry on about your brother." She caught the look in his eye as he tried to avoid looking at her. "Wait a minute…..just how did you 'wrong me' again??"

He rolled over and stared at the floor as an uncomfortable silence hung in the air between them. Minutes stretched into an eternity as he pretended she wasn't there and she pretended he was about to tell her something important. So she stood there rooted to the spot and waited while Buyo struggled to escape the confines of her arms. Neither one seemed willing to break the silence especially after Buyo called attention to it as she landed on the floor with a soft thud. Kagome then folded her arms as Sesshomaru flicked his fur and Buyo once again went through the motions of stalking her prey. 

__

"Well Sesshomaru I can wait as long as you can without talking!" She thought as she decided to sit on the floor next to Buyo. _"Maybe if I sit here, he'll have no choice of not telling me whatever it was he was going to tell me."_ So she gave him her best stare; the one she used on Inuyasha, whenever she wanted him to admit he was thinking about Kikyo. 

Sesshomaru looked at her and smiled as he laughed to himself. _"So she thinks she'd going to get me to talk by staring, hunh? That may work on my stupid brother but it's not going to work on me."_ He thought as he continued flicking the fur and went back to watching the cat play. 

The silence stretched on as if it was a living thing and it slowly filled up the space between them. Both seemed oblivious to it; instead each one concentrated on the silent battle of wills they had going between them. After a while both became aware of the soft ticking of the clock in the room as well as the soft patter of Buyo's feet as she played with the fur. After a while the ticking grew louder as Buyo stopped to groom herself. Sesshomaru watched fascinated as first she licked one paw then she rubbed the paw over the side of her face, then up and over her ear before switching to the other paw and repeating the process. He could sense rather than see Kagome staring at him as he refused to look at her, preferring to watch the cat instead. Minutes ticked on as Buyo started on her hind legs before finally finishing. Then she neatly folded her paws underneath her and closed her eyes and dozed in that special way cats had of dozing. Soon his eyes widened at the sound of her purring; for she was content to share their silence. Kagome meanwhile continued to stare even though her eyes were starting to feel just as heavy as her head, so she shifted around so that she could still stare at him while lying on the floor. 

The silence had by now grown to the point of filling the room and both of them were starting to feel sleepy as Buyo purred on, sounding like a huge bumblebee in the quiet of the room. Kagome lay there eyes slowly closing as sleep called to her once more, only to wake with a start as she realized what she was doing. It was then that she would swear that Sesshomaru was watching her just as intently as he watched the cat, and yet there was just a touch of uncertainty for she would never catch him looking directly at him. 

Yet Sesshomaru definitely was watching her and he wondered too just what it was about her his brother found so fascinating that he was ready to battle over her. He found she looked pretty much the same as most ningen did to him, male or female and yet there was something different about her. He thought maybe it was her spirit, her fire, the way she would recklessly jump into the middle of battle to save his stupid brother. _"Is it possible she loves him?"_ he wondered and he nearly shattered the silence as he realized it was quite possible his brother loved her as well. So to cover up it up he threw a pillow at her. He gave her a wicked grin too as she frowned at him, but she accepted it in the spirit in she hoped it was given and tucked it under her head. 

She gave him a silent 'thanks' and continued her staring. Soon her lids stayed closed longer and longer as sleep over took her and claimed her as its own. Sesshomaru too found it hard to stay awake as he watched the hypnotic twitch of Buyo's tail. They slept that way for an hour or so much like the others in the house slept, a blanket of silence wrapped around each as they slumbered on.

Like all good things that must come to an end, each one eventually woke up. Higarashi-san woke up to the sight of a snow white head crowned in sunlight; Inuyasha to the warm gentleness of a mother sleeping nearby. Upstairs Sesshomaru was awake before Kagome and he broke the silence with a whispered, "I'm sorry." Kagome woke to in time to accept it as the household went through the motions of trying to shake off the last remnants of sleep. Higarashi-san went to make a cup of tea and noticed her daughter's backpack and shoes where she left by the front door. She called out her find to Inuyasha, who decided to creep upstairs in hopes of watching her sleep. He made his way quietly up the stairs and was surprised to find her room empty; that's when he hear the soft murmurings through the wall that divided her room from her brother's. He made his way softly and silently as if stalking some prey, the few short steps that separated the doors. That's when he saw and heard it all. 

"Thanks for sleeping with me, Wehgome. You know it was one of the most pleasant I've had in your house and I thank you. I never realized how quiet you can be when you want to." He gave her a half smile as he held out his hand to her and pulled when she took it, gently pulling her to her feet. 

"Sesshomaru really! Do you know what trouble we'd be in if Inuyasha heard you talking like that?"

"Oh I'd have to say Kagome was right about this one, Onii-chan…. You both are in quiet a lot of trouble from where I'm standing….." came a voice from the doorway. 


	22. The Green Eyed Monster

Chapter 22: The Green-eyed Monster 

Kagome couldn't see his face clearly, as his bangs were covering his eyes, but she was fairly certain that if she could see beneath the hair, she would seen eyes that were glowing red, for his voice had taken on the cold, sinister quality that she had only ever heard a few times before, when his human blood had been beaten back by the youkai blood that ran in his veins. In the seconds that followed, she felt fairly certain that she and Sesshoumaru were going to die horrible deaths in her little brother's bedroom. Then Inuyasha raised his head slightly to look them in the eye, and she saw that her fears were unfounded. Yet, as relieved as she was that his eyes remained amber, she was still very concerned about the icy stillness of his voice. _'How much of that did he hear?' _she wondered, before opening her mouth to speak.

"Inu-" the sound was cut off as his hand shot out and clamped itself around her mouth. The pads of his fingers dug painfully into her cheeks, but she counted herself lucky that he wasn't using his claws. 

"You don't talk." he said quietly, his eyes locked onto hers in a predatory glare. "Sesshoumaru, please tell your bitch to be silent." 

"Woof." Sesshoumaru said mockingly. For a split second, Inuyasha's eyes flashed the crimson color of blood and Kagome inhaled sharply. But as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone again. 

"Tell me now brother." he said evenly. "Is this your bitch? Did you bed this… female?" he said, twisting the word with his malice and disgust. "Say yes, and I'll leave this house right now and forfeit my claim, out of respect for the alpha-male of our clan."

"At what point did my position in the hierarchy start to matter to you, oto-chan?" Sesshoumaru asked curiously, raising one eyebrow. 

"Keh. Even I am not so foolish as to touch the mate of Sesshoumaru, even if she is only his… plaything. Apart from that, if it's true that she has given you what she has denied me, then I don't want her anymore." At his callous words, hot, indignant tears began to roll down Kagome's cheeks, running onto his fingers. Inuyasha released her face and absently licked her tears from the back of his hand. 

"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru sighed. "I did not bed the wench. I never have, and I never will."

"I don't believe you." Inuyasha said thickly. "I heard everything you two just said to each other. Don't deny what you said!" 

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, her tears flowing openly. 

"Shut up!" he snarled. "You have nothing to say to me! I took care of you! I saved your life! And this is how you repay your life debt? By mating with my _enemy_?! I could expect something this despicable from him. He hates me, but at least he's honest about it. But you! You told me that you loved me!" 

"You said you loved me, too." she sobbed. "But you can't love me if you don't trust me! Where is your faith in me, Inuyasha?"

"You want to know? Right now it's underneath Sesshoumaru's feet, right next to my heart." he said coldly, slowly tracing the path of a single tear down her face with the claw on his right index finger. She shivered involuntarily at his touch. Lifting her chin with his hand, he lowered his mouth to her ear. 

"I think I hate you more now than I've ever hated anyone in my entire, cursed life." he whispered. Unable to restrain herself any further, Kagome drew her hand back and slapped him across the face. His gaze never wavered from hers as he rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand, an evil grin spreading over his face. 

"Onii-chan, your bitch juts hit me. You'd better put her in her place, or I will."

"Alright, that's enough." Sesshoumaru said, rising to his feet. "You can put her in her place, oto-chan, if that's what you really want to do to her, but I claim no responsibility over her actions, as she is not mine to chastise. I'm telling this to you for the last time, as I am tired of these dramatics; I did not bed the wegome."

"Not last night?" Inuyasha demanded, his icy resolve beginning to falter slightly. 

"No, and not just now. What you heard was the wegome and I waking from a very pleasant nap, in which we didn't even share so much as a blanket. She has been faithful to you brother, though the gods only know why. As for you little ningen," Sesshoumaru said, turning to focus his gaze on Kagome. "Do not act as though you have been mistreated here today. I am actually quite amazed at my brother's self-restraint. Had I been the one to discover my mate so much as sleeping in the same room with my rival, let alone been lead to believe that they had been mating together, their heads would have rolled long before I ever thought to stop and ask questions. If you are to be his mate, little wegome, then it's high time you started acting like it. Show your mate some of the respect he deserves as your protector and provider, and the harsh words you hear from him will start to become fewer and far between. You must meet him more than half way, for one of our bloodlines will never bow before his mate, and you can't expect him to fight against his own instincts, even if he is only a hanyou." Kagome had listened to Sesshoumaru's little lecture with growing indignance. By the time he was finished, she was downright angry.

"Listen you! Both of you! I am not going to bow down to Inuyasha, either! I'm not a quiet little hime or giesha! I am a modern woman, and on top of that, a miko! I deserve respect just as much as he does!"

"Is that right?" Sesshoumaru said, amused. "So the fact that he tries to kill me nearly every time I say anything the least bit degrading about you, that's not showing you respect? How about when he comes to your home and allows himself to be debased and fawned over like a pet cat by your ningen family?"

"Hey! My family loves Inuyasha!"

"And my brother obviously loves you, or he'd never tolerate being chastised by your human mother. We don't like being caged, wegome. From what I've seen in only the past day and a half, he has never so much as raised a hand to you, and there have been many instances where I've felt his self-control wearing thin. Can you say the same, little wegome? In case you've forgotten, let me refer you back to five minutes ago." Kagome opened her mouth to speak, then promptly closed it again as she considered his words. She stole a quick glance at Inuyasha, who had his arms folded in the sleeves of his haori and appeared to be looking at a particularly interesting spot on the wall, his face flushed a bright pink and his jaw set in a pout. Then she looked up at Sesshoumaru, who was apparently still waiting for her to answer him.

"I…I guess I never thought of it that way…" she admitted quietly. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha."

"Inuyasha, your wegome has apologized to you. What will you do with her now?" Inuyasha was silent for a moment, but whether he was merely brooding or honestly considering Sesshoumaru's question, Kagome was never really sure. Finally, after a few minutes of painfully awkward silence, he turned to look at Sesshoumaru.

"Leave us." Sesshoumaru nodded his head in silent agreement. 

"Shall I go to the wegome's room?" he asked. Inuyasha shrugged. 

"If you prefer. But if you really want to be helpful, go distract Higurashi-san."

"I believe I will go speak with Higurashi-san, but I'm not going to purposefully distract her, so I suggest that you don't get too wrapped up in…" he trailed off, favoring his brother with a tiny, condescending smile. "Just keep your ears trained on the staircase."

"I know how to watch my own back, Sesshoumaru." he said, but his tone wasn't angry or harsh, just matter-of-fact. "Leave us now." 

"Sayonara, Wegome." Sesshoumaru whispered courteously, but Kagome could swear that there was something hidden behind his poker-face. She didn't have long to figure out what it might be, however, as Sesshoumaru had left , closing the door behind him and leaving her in the eerily quiet bedroom with Inuyasha. 

"I never would have slept with Sesshoumaru." she said after a few tense minutes where neither one spoke. 

"Kikyo shot me through the heart. I never saw that one coming, either." Kagome's eyes flashed and her cheeks colored. 

"I am NOT Ki-" 

"I know." he said quickly, silencing that old, tired argument.

"So…what do we do now?" Kagome asked, a little afraid of what the answer might be, but unable to continue on in suspense. 

"I guess that all depends on you." he said quietly, absently fidgeting with the arm of a half-completed model Gundam that sat on Souta's desk. 

"Really? The way Sesshoumaru was talking, it sounded to me like I didn't get to make decisions anymore. I thought I had to leave all the thinking up to my mate!" she huffed sarcastically, her arms resting akimbo on her hips. 

"I'm not your mate, Kagome." he said flatly, hazarding a look in her direction.

"Oh…" she whispered, her voice sounding small and hurt.

"Not that I don't want to be!" he added quickly, then looked away. "But I'm starting to realize that you're not ready to be my mate."

"How can you say that?!" she cried, turning her back on him so he wouldn't see the immense hurt in her eyes. "I'm strong! I'm not afraid of anything!"

"Yes," he whispered softly, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. "You are strong and you are very brave. But you are also a young girl who is still very much attached to her family. Sesshoumaru's right; you aren't ready for the implications that mating with me would bring."

"Like what?" She pouted, refusing to turn around and look him in the eye.

"Like how about being driven from every human village because you're mated to a monster? Having to leave your family behind and follow me wherever I go, because I won't trust that you're safe unless I can see you? And yes, you may even have to actually listen to me from time to time…But the main reason is pups, Kagome."

"Pups?" 

"Whelps…" he frowned, searching for the right word. "Babies." 

"Oh!" she gasped, despite her best efforts to appear unfazed. 

"I know that I'm not ready to sire pups yet, and you sure as hell aren't, but if we're mated, then pups will always be a distinct possibility." Desperately trying to swallow the lump that seemed to have made a permanent home in her throat, Kagome turned around to face him. 

"You've been giving this a lot of thought, haven't you?" Inuyasha nodded his head. 

"I love you, Kagome." he admitted quietly. "And I don't really want to ruin your life. So if you-umph!" She swallowed his words, all of the past day's frustrations draining out of her as she locked her mouth onto his. She had taken him by surprise, so he stepped back, yelping in pain as he stepped on a Transformer. Between her jumping into his arms and stepping on the toy, he lost his balance and fell onto the bed, Kagome landing on top of him. He tried to ask her if she was alright, but his words were lost in her mouth as she savagely attacked him again. After two or three seconds of half-hearted struggling, Inuyasha rolled her over and accepted defeat. 


	23. Hint, Hint

Chapter 23: Hint, hint ^^

Sesshomaru paused just outside the door as he waited to see if his suspicions were correct. It was hard not to laugh as he heard them murmur softly to each other before the words were replaced by other sounds including the sound of two bodies falling on the bed. Chuckling silently to himself at their predictability, he wished for one sweet minute that those Pikachu sheets would be able to tell him exactly what went on, not that he didn't have a fair idea of what did and what would follow. Then he thought wickedly about interrupting them several times in much the same manner Inuyasha had interrupted him when he was a child and Sesshomaru had a woman with him. _"I can see it now! 'Oto-chan can you come play ball with me now?' or "Oto-chan what are doing? You look sooo funny like that!' and my favorite, 'I'll play here quietly in the corner until you're done, then we can go play!' Ooops, I nearly forgot the best one, 'Oto-chan can I sleep with her too?' Damn it…for some reason I feel I just can't do that to the Wegome… mmmmm…maybe if it were some other wench…"_ He laughed again as he thought about his little brother finally becoming a man, and then headed down the stairs in search of Higarashi-san. 

He found her sitting on the sofa, a cup of tea in hand as she sat watching the TV. She was pleased to see him smiling and asked if everyone 'kissed and made up'. She explained when he gave her a strange look and she giggled along with his chuckle as if she understood his pointed look. At his insistence that he be the one to go get himself a cup so he could share her tea, she started to get a bit suspicious as to why he wanted her to stay put. "Are you sure everything is fine between everyone, Sessho-kun? Kagome and Inuyasha aren't fighting this time are they?"

"No Higarashi-sama, they are not fighting at all." He said but thought, _"No… they're not exactly fighting …more like wrestling in each other's arms…."_

"You're sure?? You seem awfully….I don't know…never mind… Dear. Would you like me to change the channel and put on something else? I don't mind if I miss a day watching my soaps…"

__

"Ohhh… I think they're going to need more than some soaps to take care of the smell of their mating…." He tried to look at her without laughing as he realized this was going to fun sitting here pretending he had no idea of what was going on upstairs. "Soaps, Higarashi-sama? What are soaps? Are they not that stuff you told me about that is used for bathing? Like what is on the box now?" He pointed to a commercial for a beauty bar that had just started airing. 

"No not that's not what I meant, Silly. Soaps are soap operas…TV dramas about people that are sort of drawn out so that if you miss a day it doesn't matter. They also have several convoluted plot lines going at the same time. Are you sure you wouldn't rather I put the afternoon movie on? It's called 'The Seven Samurai'. Are you sure you wouldn't really enjoy watching that?"

__

"No… as disgusting as it seems I think I'd much rather watch my stupid brother make an ass out of himself as he attempts to seduce the Wegome into mating with him. That I believe would be far more interesting not to mention the possibility of it being funny as hell!" He shook his head at her. "No Higarashi-sama…you go ahead and watch your soaps… perhaps I can learn something about ningen life if I watch with you?"

"Sessho-kun, I don't think you're going to learn much of anything other than how silly I am for wasting my time watching them…." She blushed slightly as if she revealed an embarrassing secret. 

__

"True. True…and I'm sure you'd be most happy to learn something of Youkai life if you were to wander around upstairs….say something about their mating habits…" He made a face at her to hide his snickering. _"And speaking of mating habits…."_ He thought before saying out loud to her. "Higarashi-sama I don't think you are silly at all. In fact I think you are most wise for a ningen woman." _"A little blind not to mention deaf…Hey you two; do mind being a bit quieter up there? I can hear you all the way down here and it's a wonder Higarashi-sama doesn't hear you as well!"_

"Sessho-kun, do you think you can turn on the stove for me and make more water for tea? You what… never mind…let's go together." Higarashi-san got up and Sesshomaru obediently followed. _"Hey if she's going to catch them at it, I want to be there when it happens."_ He reasoned. They made their way into the kitchen; Sesshomaru amazed that his brother and his koibito weren't discovered considering all the noise they were making. He frowned at his luck, but hoped it would change soon. 

"Here you go Sessho-kun. I hope it's not too hot for you." Higarashi-san said as she handed him a cup of tea. 

__

"No not really…in fact I think it's actually a lot hotter upstairs…say in the vicinity of Sota's room…" he thought as he sipped it and watched her go about the room gathering the things she thought were needed as she made them a snack to go with their tea. As she picked up the tea tray Higarashi-san noticed the time. "Well look at that! Sota will be home from school any minute now! Come let's go finish watching the soaps before he wants to watch Pokemon."

"Really…. Does he not go up to his room to do his school work before playing? When I was a young whelp I always had to complete my lessons before I could go run and play….then again when Inuyasha was born….I remember my oyajii relaxing his ways and well let's just say he was a bit too relaxed." He hoped Higarashi-san would get the hint and send Sota up to his room. _"This is going to be priceless if she does in fact take the bait and make the child go study…seeing as Inuyasha is taking way too much time bedding the wench…it would serve him right!!!! But then seeing as he claims to have learned about mating from pigs…oh hell this is going to be great!"_

At the sound of the chuckle that escaped his throat, Higarashi-san asked him what was so funny and was surprised at his answer. "Did you not find it funny that Megumi-san had no idea that her koibito was upstairs mating with her friend Fujiko-san? I cannot believe that ningen can be so…so…ummm clueless as to what is going on in their houses, ne?" He gave her another pointed look this time with a slight toss of his head upwards. _"Come on Higarashi-sama…can you not tell what is going on upstairs? Must I be more direct or should I give you some more hints."_

"Well…yes….please Sessho-kun, tell me that isn't what you got out of the program." She looked at him a bit scandalized and embarrassed that of all the things that went on in the episode he had to fixate on that one scene. "I mean people don't just do that sort of thing in the daytime when other people are home in the house. Ummm…maybe we should…ummm… watch something else?" 

__

"I think you wrong there Higarashi-sama. Very wrong! In fact I can show you just how wrong you are…that is if you'd like me too. In fact I'd really really really would love to show you just how wrong you are." Smiling he told her no he really had no preference as to what to watch as he found the whole concept of TV fascinating. Anything she chose to put on would be fine with him. So they went back to the living room and were watching part of the next soap when Sota arrived home. 

"Hey Mama guess what?! Oh hi Sessho-kun! Guess what happened in school today? Kenji was mad at Aiko today cuz he thought she didn't want to play with him anymore, cuz he saw her playing with Zeshin. And this whole big fight broke out and Kenji got sent to the principal's office for punching Zeshin! Aiko now won't talk to either of them and nobody wants to talk to Aiko anymore cuz they're all scared of Kenji!" he laughed at the memory as Sesshomaru and Higarashi-san waited patiently for him to finish. "And guess what else? Me and Toru saw Kenji kissing Aiko after school like they weren't mad at each other at all!"

"What? Nine years old and you are already kissing?" Higarashi said shocked at the idea of her baby growing up earlier than she hoped. 

__

"Impressive…nine years old and kissing…Wouldn't it be funny if the Wegome turns out to be not as untouched as Inuyasha thought she was…" Sesshomaru waited a bit to see if Sota would be sent to his room. 

"Oh Mama! I don't do things like that!!! That's icky!!!" Sota said blushing. "Hey Sessho-kun wanna watch Pokemon?"

"Sota, I think it's better if you watched less TV and did more homework. So why don't you go upstairs now and do it?"

"Mama!!!! I'm doing way better than Kagome is in school!!! I don't need to study that much!"

"Well why don't I help you study the way Inuyasha is helping Wegome? This way…" Sesshomaru leaned forward and whispered the rest. "We can finish quickly and catch the end of Pokemon." He shot Sota an eager look as if he was waiting all day for his chance to tutor his new friend. _"Actually if we hurry we can catch the end of Inuyasha studying the Wegome…as well as the Wegome brushing up on her study of Youkai anatomy…." _

The two of them made their way up the stairs towards Sota's room. As they got closer to it Sesshomaru could hear the sounds inside becoming more passionate and it sent a thrill of excitement through him to know he was about to catch his brother with his pants off as it were. Closer and closer they got until he was sure Sota could hear it too, and he was amazed that Sota seemed so unfazed by it all. 

__

"Does this mean the Wegome entertains in this manner all the time?? If so she must either be very talented or my brother very stupid!" he thought as Sota opened the door to his room. Sesshomaru's face fell at the sight that greeted them, for there was Inuyasha sitting on the floor next to the bed while Kagome sat on it and to his right. Both had those strange devices in their hands and were very much into doing what they were doing most of the afternoon. 

__

"This is odd…It definitely smells like lust in here and yet it also doesn't smell as though they gave into it…I wonder if they were afraid? But they most definitely sounded as though they were very busy up here…So busy that I was most impressed with my brother's stamina and yet…? I wonder if it was over before they started…that must be it! Oto-chan you are truly amazing in that you managed to screw that up too! Didn't you learn anything from those pigs?"

"What's the matter Sesshomaru? You've never seen anyone play video games before?"

He frowned as he replied. "No… I haven't. This is where all that noise came from?"

"Yeah, asshole! What of it?"

"Inuyasha! Please don't talk like that in front of Sota!"

"Hey it's not like I'm some kinda baby that's never heard that word before, Nee-san! Inunii-chan by the way who's winning??"

"Your sister is but that's because I let her."

"Inuyasha! You promised to platy fairly this time!"

Sesshomaru looked around and shook his head in disgust. _"All afternoon when I thought he was bedding the Wegome... he was playing stupid games with her? Geeze what idiots!!!"_

"Hey Sessho-kun are you going to stand there or help me with my homework? I really want to finish before Pokemon does! Today they're going to the Orange Islands. Sessho-kun are you alright?"

"Hunh? Gomen Sota-kun I wasn't paying attention. What was that about an orange?" He looked at Sota like he had no idea where he was or how he got there. _"Or little brother were you playing stupid little games with me…?"_

  



	24. Love is a Two Way Street

Chapter 24: Love is a Two Way Street

"Souta, do you have to study now?" Inuyasha griped. His voice was edged with irritation at being interrupted from the video game, but his eyes were focused only on Sesshoumaru, and they were gloating. "Onii-chan, you promised to help him study, ne? How surprisingly nice of you. I don't remember you ever taking that much interest in my education. Well Kagome, I can see that we'd only be in the way if we stayed here. Why don't we go somewhere else and leave these two alone."

"Inuyasha!" Sesshoumaru hissed as the hanyou took Kagome by the hand and lead her out the door. Inuyasha turned around, his mouth breaking into the biggest, stupidest grin that Sesshoumaru had ever seen on his half-brother's face. 

"What's the matter, Maru-chan?" Inuyasha asked, his voice infuriatingly innocent. Then leaning in, he dropping his voice to barely a whisper and said "Thanks for taking care of the brat. He wouldn't have been happy until he had found us, as you can see, so we had to figure out some way of keeping him occupied. If there's one thing I'm learning from you, brother, it's patience. Have fun, onii-chan. I know I will." With a sly wink at Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha turned and picked up Kagome, throwing her over his right shoulder in a fireman's carry. 

"Put me down!" she giggled fiercely as he descended the stairs, pounding him lightly on the back with her fists in mock distress. Without so much as breaking his stride, he reached up and gently slapped her on the behind, sending Kagome into a fit of hysterical giggles and causing Sesshoumaru to growl in frustration and embarrassment. When they had reached the bottom of the stairs, Inuyasha gently lowered her back down to her feet and pulled her pink, giggling face in for a quick but deep kiss.

"Mmmm…" Kagome sighed into his mouth before pulling away. "Think he bought it?"

"Of course." he chuckled softly, his eyes dancing with mirth. "Did you see his face? He's so pissed!"

"Serves him right!" Kagome laughed. "Like I don't know what time Souta comes home everyday!"

"Like I couldn't sense him waiting outside the doorway for ten minutes before he went downstairs... the pervert."

"He wasn't kidding, then. He really does think we're absolute morons, doesn't he?" Kagome frowned.

"Well, he thinks I'm an absolute moron." Inuyasha said as he nibbled at the spot on her neck below her ear. "You're just guilty by association." 

"Ah. I see." She giggled as he hit a particularly ticklish spot. "We morons stick together, is that it?"

"Something like that." he said between working the kisses up her jaw line. "Although it doesn't help that you've been acting like an absolute moron since he got here."

"Why you-!" He found an easy way to quickly silence her anger. When their lips parted again, he leaned down and whispered into her ear.

"Can we go somewhere and…" he paused, unable to remember what she had called it when they had been doing it upstairs. 

"Make out?"

"Yeah, can we go do that again?" he said, leaning his head against hers so that their foreheads were resting against each other and he could look deep into her eyes or right down her shirt, depending on what he wanted to see at the time. "That was…fun." Kagome laughed softly, placing her palms flat against his chest and pushing him lightly back a few centimeters. 

"Actually, I was thinking of something a little more social, that is if you're feeling up to it."

"That depends on what you mean." he said, his cheerful tone taking on a sour edge of suspicion. 

"Well," Kagome started, coyly twisting one of his forelocks around her finger, "I was talking to one of my friends today, and she pointed out that she's still never met my mysterious boyfriend…"

"Am I your mysterious boyfriend?" he smiled, drawing her close to his chest again. 

"Who else?" she laughed, kissing him on the chin. "Anyway, I was wondering if I could invite one of my friends over to finally meet you…" she closed her eyes and stood up on her toes, placing her lips gently on his before they abruptly disappeared beneath hers, leaving her to kiss thin air as he backed out of her embrace.

"What?" he demanded. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Well why not?" she asked, unable to hide the disappointment in her voice. 

"Why not? Why not?! Are you trying to invite a disaster? For one thing, Sesshoumaru's right upstairs! And for another," he pointed to the top of his head. 

"My brother will keep your brother busy for hours!" she pleaded. "And Mama can help me figure out a way to cover your ears."

"One of those stupid, stuffy hats again? NO WAY!" He folded his arms over his chest and turned away from her, making a show of putting his foot down. 

"Please, Inuyasha!" she begged, tugging at his sleeve. "It would only be Ayumi! She's really nice and not as loud as Yuka and Eri. But if she meets you, then she can tell the others and maybe they'll ease up a little." 

"No they won't! They'll all want to come over here and annoy me!"

"No," she insisted. "We'd be safe for awhile! They'll be so busy pumping Ayumi for every single excruciating detail about you that they won't bother us for at least a few days." 

"But they will come! Why not just avoid this whole ridiculous thing in the first place, Kagome? This is a BAD idea!" he hissed, his eyes occasionally scanning the area for Higurashi-san as the argument became more heated and subsequently louder. 

"Because people are starting to ask questions! If my friends never get to meet you then they're always going to think of you as that violent, two-timing jerk I made you out to be that one time…"

"You did what?!"

"Or worse, they'll think I made you up! How horribly embarrassing would that be? Not to mention the fact that if they never meet you, they're going to keep trying to set me up with Houjo-kun…" That did it. Inuyasha's arms dropped uncertainly to his sides and he started to get flustered. 

"You tell that guy to stay away from you! I mean it! If he so much as comes within smelling distance of this house again, I'll rip his throat out!"

"YOU SEE?!" Kagome exclaimed, pointing her finger in his face, "Violent and selfish!" 

"That's different…" he grumbled, setting his jaw in a pout. "You're threatening me with another guy! That's not how a mate should behave…" 

"Are you threatening me now?" Kagome whispered fiercely, tugging on his forelocks to get him to look at her face. Struggling to get a hold on her temper before the situation flared out of control, Kagome took a deep breath, then slowly began again. 

"It's not at all like that, Inuyasha. I guess what it all comes down to is that I love you, and I'm proud to be with you. I want my friends to meet you so that I can show you off and they can be extremely jealous of me for landing such a tough, strong, sweet, bishounen." 

Be they ningen, youkai or somewhere in between, never underestimate the power of a woman's sincere flattery on a young man's bruised ego. 

"Bishounen, huh?" he growled good-naturedly, a hungry grin spreading over his face as he grabbed the sides of her arms and dipped his head down to claim her mouth again, this time his tongue snaking it's way past her teeth to taste the inside of her sweet mouth.

"Mmmm…" he sighed through his nose as her fingers crept up his arms and into his hair, his own fingers sliding down to her hips, then further down to cup her bottom and pull her hips tightly against his.

"Eh-hem!" Inuyasha's ear swiveled around at the faint noise, but the rest of his body was otherwise occupied and didn't respond. 

"Excuse me!" the voice insisted, louder this time, finally prompting the correct response. Kagome pulled herself out of the steamy embrace, blushing madly and staring contritely at the floor. Inuyasha groped blindly for a moment before he figured out that Kagome was gone, then turned to look stupidly to his left, where he was greeted with the sight of Higurashi-san tapping her foot on the floor. 

"So, what were you two up to?" she asked quietly, but he could tell by the way that she asked it that she already had her suspicions. 

"Playing Tekken." he said defensively. "Ask Souta!"

"Oh? Who won?" Higurashi-san asked, trying to hide her amusement. It would do no good to encourage them. 

"Kagome, but only because-" he stopped as Kagome elbowed him in the ribs. "Higurashi-san," he amended, bowing to her for the second time that day, "I am very sorry and embarrassed that you're going to have to reprimand me again. Maybe it _would_ be best if I went home." 

"And leave me alone with your brother? Not a chance!" Higurashi-san teased, ruffling the boys hair. "Just slow it down, guys, Ok? I don't want any puppy-eared grandchildren…yet." She gave Inuyasha a conspiratorial smile, while Kagome tried to see if she could use her miko powers to sink into the floorboards.

"Well, now that you're done…playing." Higurashi-san continued, "What are you planning for the rest of the afternoon? Do you have any homework, Kagome?"

"Not today…" Kagome smiled nervously, not about to admit that she had no idea whether she did or not, seeing as how she'd left school a few hours early. "Actually, Mama, if it would be alright, I'd like to invite Ayumi over so that she can meet Inuyasha." Higurashi-san looked from her daughter's hopeful eyes to Inuyasha's panic-stricken ones, conflicted.

"Well, it's alright with me, dear. Ayumi is such a sweet girl…but do you think this is wise, Kagome?" 

"Mama," Kagome sighed, pleading her case. "I would like, if just for one afternoon, to be a normal girl who does a normal thing like introduce her boyfriend to one of her friends! It doesn't have to be a disaster! We could ask Souta to keep Sesshoumaru busy, and of course, explain to Sesshoumaru why he's being kept busy… And if you'll help me, I'm sure we can figure out a way to make Inuyasha look a little more human- without making him too uncomfortable!" she added when Inuyasha shot her distrustful glance.

"I still don't know about this…" he grumbled. 

"Inuyasha, if you're going to be a part of my life, then eventually you are going to have to meet people!"

"But why does it have to be today? Sesshoumaru's here and I'm still not feeling well!" Kagome asked her mother to excuse them for a moment and dragged Inuyasha into the living room. 

"Don't give me that crap, mister!" she whispered harshly, poking him in the chest with her index finger. "Less than an hour ago you wanted to do something that requires a lot more energy than meeting one of my friends, and I didn't hear you complaining until I asked you to stop!" 

"Yeah, but I was enjoying THAT, and it probably would have done wonders for my health!" 

"Shh! Listen to me. This is important, Inuyasha. I don't ask you for very much, do I?" Inuyasha looked up at the ceiling and began to count silently on his fingers. "Ok! Ok! I get it! I ask you for things all the time, alright?! Sheesh, when did you become so passive-aggressive?"

"I learned it from you."

"How sweet. You couldn't have picked up one of my better qualities?"

"No, no…this one's much more infuriating." He smirked at her. 

"Tell me about it!" she said, eyeing him nastily. "If you weren't so close to the table..." 

"You know, you're awfully cute when you're about to sit me." he teased, encircling her waist in his arms. "It's almost worth the pain."

"That's love, pal."


	25. The Stage is Set

Chapter 25: The stage is set

"Well Koishii…if you say so, then I guess I can handle the pain…" Inuyasha teased as he tried to nibble again on Kagome's ear. "And speaking of pains…just how are we going to get my stupid brother to cooperate with us? He's pissed as hell at us…you know I bet if I walked up to him and used the words 'baka hentai' in a sentence he's rip my head off before I got the 'baka' part out. You know how he hates it when he can't get his own way…" He paused to get in a few quick little kisses in the soft hollow below her ear and she shivered with delight. "Besides the bastard's never gonna agree to helping us and he'll probably want something in return for being 'nice' and keeping Sota occupied." Inuyasha chuckled as he thought of something funny. 

"What's so funny Saiai?" She said as she reached up to kiss him again. Twining her fingers in his hair she pulled his face close to hers and kissed him just as deeply as he had just kissed her minutes before. Taking a minute to catch his breath he murmured something silly about bribing his brother with his own set of Pikachu sheets. Soon they stood there; heads together giggling like the very morons Sesshomaru thought they were. 

"Eh-hem", Higarashi-san coughed as she walked into the living room to see where her daughter and her koibito disappeared to. "You know I think Sessho-kun was trying very hard to tell me today to get a chaperone for you two…." She watched amused as they pushed each other out of their embrace. "Remember what I just told you two about puppy-eared grandchildren?" she sighed. "Well is your friend coming over or not? I'm just asking as we need to go out and get something for Inuyasha to wear…And possibly Sessho-kun too. And you know what Kagome, since you seem to know Inuyasha's tastes so well maybe you should come with me this time."

"Mama? What if they….you know…" She looked at Inuyasha as she went on, "can't 'play nicely together' while we're gone? Think of what could happen to Sota…." He smiled at her as if to reassure her he would behave himself. 

"I've already thought of that Dear. In fact I'm on my way to speak to Sessho-kun about it. You know I'm sure he can be trusted to help Sota get his homework done, while Inuyasha sits here quietly and watches TV. And doesn't move an inch off the sofa…." He nodded vigorously in agreement with her as he heard the implied threat, and didn't want to do anything that would prevent him from being with Kagome when she got back. 

Higarashi-san motioned for Kagome to come with her as they said their good-byes to Inuyasha and left him parked in front of the TV watching Rurouni Kenshin. Inuyasha pouted as soon as they left the room as he knew he was going to have to be the one who was going to have to deal with Sesshomaru and get him to promise to behave himself later. He closed his eyes as he followed the sounds of their footsteps up the stairs towards Sota's room in his mind. He calmed and centered himself as he wished he could hear just as well as his brother, which brought with it some welcome memories of his afternoon spent making out with his precious Kagome. So wrapped up was he in that one particularly juicy memory that he nearly missed what was going on upstairs. He did hear enough to know that Sesshomaru promised to behave himself as long as he was left alone. Then he laughed when heard his brother say that he would be more than happy to play with Sota. As quickly as that statement made him laugh, it also made him feel sad as Sesshomaru very rarely played with him when he was young. _"I wonder what they're playing with. Sota always wanted me to play with his action figures….and what did I do but pull a 'Sesshomaru' and told him no….maybe they're playing with those? Or maybe his Gundams, or those stupid car things… the Transformers?"_ he thought as he tried to concentrate on the TV. _"Maybe I can go up when they leave and find out…yup! That's what I'll do."_ He sat there quietly as Higarashi-san and Kagome left after telling them good-bye as well as hurry back, which made Kagome giggle nervously as if she suspected trouble. He could tell she was torn between her desire to help buy him a gift of sorts as well as the desire to stick around in case he needed her help. So he waved them away and sat back and waited until he was sure they were gone. Then he climbed the stairs and headed towards Sota's room. 

"I, Vegeta, will kick your ass Kakarot! It will do you well to remember that I, Vegeta, am a prince among Saiyens!"

"Hey Vegeta! Chill! As much as I would love to fight you right now, we have to work together to battle the evil Majin Buu!"

Inuyasha heard laughter followed by Sesshomaru asking Sota, "Which one is Majin Buu again?" More laughter this time all Sota's as he told him, "this one!" Then Sesshomaru replying, "But he is so small and weak looking. Are your sure he is that powerful?" Inuyasha picked that moment to come in and was rewarded for his trouble by his brother telling him to go away. 

"We need to talk, Sesshomaru."

"Why should I talk to you? Wouldn't you rather just sit there and gloat? You must be very proud of yourself this time…"

"Sesshomaru…please…" Inuyasha sighed. Sesshomaru was making a point of looking everywhere else but at him and Inuyasha was reminded of last night when they strolled in the garden. Then too his brother wouldn't look at him, let alone talk to him, as he followed along and poured out his heart to him. It also hurt the way Sesshomaru made a point of being very much the older brother to Sota as they sat there on the floor playing with the things that Inuyasha thought were so stupid. Then he realized that whenever Sesshomaru did do him the favor of playing with him, he always wanted to play with the little toy samurai, that he gave Inuyasha as a present. "Sesshomaru…we really need to talk and you sitting there sulking and ignoring me isn't going to help any…. Maru-chan??"

"Say your peace and then go Inuyasha. I promised Higarashi-sama I would entertain Sota-kun, while I believe you promised you would stay downstairs and watch the box." He picked up the action figure and looked at it as if he were imploring it to make the 'annoyance' go away. 

"Uh..Sessho-kun, do you want something to drink? I'm not old enough to use the stove by myself, so I can't make you tea, but I can pour us some juice. Want some too, Inuyasha?"

"Sure Sota… Sesshomaru and I would love some, right Sesshomaru?" He could feel his anger rising as Sesshomaru looked at Sota and smiled as he nodded in affirmation. Sota looked from one to the other checking to see if it was ok for him to leave. When Inuyasha nodded he did and they could hear his soft footsteps head down the stairs towards the kitchen. 

"Cut the crap now Sesshomaru! Five minutes ago you were having the time of your life in here and the minute I walk in you're sulking up a storm again. What the hell is your problem this time??? Damn it! Look at me when I speak to you!"

"Are you finished ranting? What is it you wish to talk about Inuyasha?" He raised an eyebrow as he finally turned to look at his brother. "Oh I know…do you wish to talk about how you made a fool out of me earlier? Is that what this is? Why don't we skip all that and get to the part where you start gloating about how you somehow managed to do what you wanted to do all along and bed the wench and when it looks like you were about to be discovered everyone sees you sitting there playing games. I mean with a mind as devious as that, I would have thought you would have destroyed that upstart hanyou Naraku by now. Look at how easily you outsmarted a full blooded Youkai! You should be very proud of yourself."

"Shut up Sesshomaru! You don't wear 'self pity' any better than I do. So I pulled one over on you. Big deal! 

If you hadn't been so sure that I was going to bed Kagome that you went out of your way to call attention to it, then you might have very well caught us! But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about…." He sighed and clenched and unclenched his fists as he looked Sesshomaru in the eye. "You know it won't kill you to actually pay attention to me for a change instead of acting like I'm some huge annoyance that you can't wait to be rid of." He made a pained face and went on. "Look Kagome is having a friend come over cuz she wants me to meet her and I want you to stay away! As in stay as far away as you possibly can be and still be in this house. You hear me? And gods help you if you cause any trouble for Kagome when her friend is here! I swear I'll kill then I'll try to see if I can use your sword to revive so I can have the pleasure of doing it all over again!"

"Are you through, Oto-chan? I believe Sota is coming with our drinks. Don't worry I won't interfere with your little plans…all I ask is you do me a favor as well… I wish to go home. As much fun as it's been here, I really wish to be home again…that's all. I have things that need me there and I have been away far too long."

"What kind of things? Afraid Jaken's found someone else's ass to kiss? Worried someone forgot to feed your dragon? Shit! You've only been gone two days and a night. It's not like anything terrible's gonna happen if you don't get home yesterday!"

"Rin."

"Rin? Since when did you start giving two shits about the ningen brat?"

"Since I met her… she is…special…like Higarashi-sama. Arigatou Sota-kun." He said as Sota returned with their drinks. Taking one off the tray Sota held he drank it down before continuing his talk with Inuyasha and changing the subject away from Rin. "Anyway, that is not your concern. But if you swear to leave me in peace the rest of the time I am here, I will stay out of your way. When are you going to meet this ningen? I believe Sota wanted to watch Dragonball Z after dinner and I agreed to sit and watch with him." He picked up one of the action figures and held it up to show Inuyasha. "Tonight's episode is all about how this one is defeated. As small and weak as he is…he has turned out to be a most formidable foe. This one too is very powerful but he doesn't know it. Out of all of them he seems the weakest, yet he has saved the world when no one else could." He laughed and went on. "It also seems he fell in love with a ningen girl and they go on to have a child who is also powerful. His mate started out helping him at first…oh yes I nearly forgot…this one is his annoying little brother who won't leave him alone." He gave Inuyasha a look as he pointed to a small child-like figurine.

"What's that supposed to mean, Sesshomaru? Look if you give me your word you won't interfere with Kagome and her friend and the rest of tonight's nonsense. And you two had better not breathe a word to Kagome that I said that or else! Anyway I promise to leave you in peace Sesshomaru as well as see about getting you back home. However I can't promise you when that'll be..." He shrugged.

"Fine I agree. Now get lost." Having dismissed his younger brother Sesshomaru resumed the game he was playing with Sota who looked a bit troubled at what he heard. Inuyasha stood there silently fuming for a few minutes before he left. He had just made his way downstairs in time to meet the two Higarashi women at the door. Kagome was bursting with desire to show him the stuff she picked out for him and it did a lot to ease his bitterness over his brother. 

"Look Inuyasha! We went to this shop that caries a lot of imported stuff, you know like from America and Europe and well I thought you'd look nice in this!" She riffled through the shopping bag she brought into the living room and set at her feet as she sat down on the sofa. Within minutes she pulled out a soft red rugby style shirt with a broad white stripe around the middle and a white collar and cuffs as well as a pair of pre-washed baggy cut jeans and handed it to him. Then she found inside the other thing she had got him. "I know how much you hate wearing them and all but this one's really special! It's a Yankee's hat! One of our best players now lives in America and players for them. His name's Hideki Matsui. I don't think Ayume will ask you anything about it, cause she really doesn't like baseball."

"It's ummm…fine, Kagome." When he saw the sad look on her face he quickly added, "I'll wear the hat if you really want me to, ok?" That's when he knew it was ok as she kissed the tip of his nose. 

Meanwhile Higarashi-san had gone upstairs to Sota's room. There she found her son and her future son-in-law's brother playing on the floor with his action figures. It looked like they were recreating some huge battle and she thought how lucky Rin was to have someone like Sessho-kun look after her. It still puzzled her that there seemed to be some bad blood between Inuyasha and his brother for he seemed to get on so well with Sota…and yet there was something there that she couldn't put her finger on. Shrugging away her thoughts on the matter, Higarashi-san made her presence known. 

"Hi Mama! Whatcha got there?" was barely discernable from "Okaerinsai Higarashi-sama." As two heads looked up from what they were doing on the floor. 

"We're back from the store and Kagome is showing Inuyasha the stuff we got him. Sessho-kun, I bought you something as well. I hope you like it." She said as she sat down on Sota's bed and pulled out the outfit for Sesshomaru from the shopping bag she carried. The two boys had by now gotten up and sat on the floor at her feet. They watched as she held out a pair of black jeans, then a white muscle shirt followed by a black bowling type shirt with twin dragons in shades of gray on the lower front and back. 

"Doumoarigatou Higarashi-sama! It is a wonderful gift. I do not know what to say…after all the trouble I have caused you and all…and then to find you here bringing me another gift." He bowed low before her as he was touched and some what flustered by the gift, not to mention a bit embarrassed by his previous behavior and he wished to cover up that fact. 

"Come on Sessho-kun try it on! I bet you'll look cool in it!" Sota cried. 

"Here Sota Dear, I've bought you something too." Higarashi-san said as she handed him a pair of jeans. She smiled back at his happy expression, then excusing herself she left to go back downstairs again. Sota and Sesshomaru changed into their new clothes and were just finishing as Kagome knocked softly on the door. 

"Are you two decent yet? I need to come in for a minute and Inuyasha needs to come in too so he can change when I'm gone."

"Yeah we're ready Neesan! Wait 'til you see us! We look great don't we Sessho-kun?"

"Hai! That we do."

"WOW!" Kagome thought as she caught sight of Sesshomaru. "Maybe I should have picked out something like that for Inuyasha?" She shook her head and smiled weakly at Sesshomaru's raised eyebrow. "Ummm….Sesshomaru, would it be alright if I braided your hair for you? It's kind of long and….well your ears are rather elfish…"

"Wegome…I have promised my brother I wouldn't disturb you when your guest is here… so I fail to see the need for you to touch my hair…" He looked at her uncertainly.

"Thanks…I think, but you know in case you and Sota decide to go down and watch TV and all…well and your hair's longer than most guys wear theirs here and all…and….uuummmm…."

He sighed. "Very well, I will agree to it as long as you agree that I do not have to be confined up here. And don't worry; I know how to be polite….."

"Heehhh…ok let's go to my room then and get started." It was a bit tense as they passed Inuyasha on the way, but Sesshomaru surprised them both by asking Inuyasha to come back when he was done so that he could see what the Wegome bought him. Once inside her room Kagome told him to sit in her desk chair while she brushed his hair. She was amazed at the silkiness of it for it felt different than Inuyasha's whose hair felt more like her own. Then she carefully arranged it so that it covered the pointed tips of his ears and braided and braided until she was sure her fingers would fall off. That's when Inuyasha came in and she sighed. "He looks absolutely perfect! I knew that shirt would look good on him! And those pants… Sesshomaru's may be tighter and show more…I can't believe I was checking him out! But somehow those baggy jeans look just right on my Little Puppy-chan! He just looks soooo comfortable and huggable and yummy!!!" She thought as a slight blush spread across her cheeks. 

"You look … good Oto-chan." He said as he got up to leave. "I'm going to watch the box with Sota. I believe he's waiting downstairs for me and we're going to watch DBZ and Pikachu. I forget if they are on the same show, but I'm sure Sota knows what's going on so I can ask him…." He nodded and left them. They could hear him walk down the stairs followed by Sota's voice saying something about hurrying.

"You look Yummy Inuyasha…" Kagome said as she hugged Inuyasha close. 

"I was thinking the same thing…Koishii….can't you call your friend up and tell her to come another time?" that's when the doorbell rang and Kagome's heart skipped a beat as she heard Sesshomaru get up to answer it.

"Nooooo!!! Please let it be Sota who got the door!"

"Hunh? Who cares if Sesshomaru…..Oh shit!"

They ran from the room as quickly as they could without actually running and were just in time to see Sesshomaru open the door followed by not one but three girls around Kagome's age come in. Wide eyed the three of them looked at each and squealed, "Kawaii!!!!" followed by Yuka crying, "No wonder Kagome-chan keeps him hidden away from us!!!!" and "I'm so glad you invited us along Ayumi!"


	26. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Chapter 26: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner 

"I knew it." Inuyasha growled under his breath. 

"Behave yourself, dog boy!" Kagome whispered back as she plastered a huge smile on her face and ran down the stairs to greet her friends. "Yuka! Eri-chan! What a surprise…" she laughed before shooting Ayumi a dirty look behind their backs. 

Ayumi leaned in and whispered "I'm sorry, Kagome-chan! They were at my house when you called!" Kagome favored the girl with a tiny smile and shrugged. What real difference did it make anyway? Inuyasha was going to have to meet them all eventually…this way he'd be able to get it over with in one shot. She turned back to see her friends practically drooling over Sesshoumaru, who didn't look as if he minded nearly as much as he should have. Yes, tonight her friends would finally meet Inuyasha, but first she'd have to get rid of Mr. tall, dark and inhuman. 

"Introduce us to your adorable boyfriend, Kagome-chan!" Eri squealed. 

"He's so tall!"

"And look at all that hair!"

"Oh, I love that shirt!"

"He must be a real tough. How did you lose your arm? In a motorcycle accident, I'll bet!"

"You're so lucky, Kagome-chan." Yuka whispered loudly. Sesshoumaru stood under the girls' adoring scrutiny, his mood fluctuating between annoyed and amused at any given moment. They were very loud and very stupid, but he had to admit that they had good taste. What made him smile, however, was the low sound of growling that was coming from the staircase as the girls fawned over him and congratulated the wegome on her excellent choice in men. 

"No, no guys!" Kagome interrupted the second she could get a word in edgewise. "This isn't my boyfriend! This is Sesshoumaru. He's my boyfriend's older half-brother. He's visiting, too. He's sort of a friend of the family, and he was just leaving, weren't you, Sesshoumaru?"

"Dragonball Z is on." he explained. Then, without another word, he turned and left the room.

"He's going to watch cartoons with your little brother? That's so sweet!" Ayumi cooed, hugging her arms. 

"Are you sure he's not the one?" Eri teased, peeking to get a good look at Sesshoumaru's backside in his tight jeans as he left the room. "That hair is too much! And the way he dresses! Was that a feather boa?"

"Uh, fur." Kagome gulped.

"So unusual…is he taken?" Yuka sighed.

"Guys, he's WAY to old for us! I can't believe you even thought he was my boyfriend!" 

"Well, you said you wanted us to come over and meet your guy, and he was the first guy we saw. What else were we supposed to think?" Ayumi reasoned. 

"I'm dying here, Kagome-chan!" Yuka burst out suddenly, her words escaping her mouth like a torrent of water that had been held back for too long. "Where is he?"

"Is he as cute as his brother?" Eri sighed, sneaking another peek into the living room. 

_'Oh no!'_ Kagome thought to herself in a mild panic. _'The girls were so involved with Sesshoumaru that I completely forgot to introduce Inuyasha! He's going to be furious!'_

"Uhh… I think I left him on the stairs." Kagome said lamely. "Hold on, I'll go get him." She found him sitting on the top step, playing with Buyo in the same manner that he always did; Grabbing the poor cat by either front leg and singing softly under his breath while he made him dance on his hind legs. No matter how many times she had seen it, she always found this play to be unbelievably sweet and innocent, ignoring entirely the fact that it had bred a deep-seated fear and hatred of Inuyasha in Buyo. 

"Inuyasha!" she called softly. "Please stop torturing the cat and come here."

"What the hell do you need me for? Sesshoumaru's so kawaii!!!" he mocked, raising his voice into a high falsetto that Kagome found immensely disturbing. "Oh, Sesshoumaru, look at his hair! Look, he's missing body parts! Oooo, look at that tight ass in those tight pants!" 

"I'm sorry! Please come down, you promised you would!" When he ignored her, she changed tactics. "How am I supposed to show them how much cuter you are if you don't come down?"

"I don't know…" he sighed uncertainly. "My jeans aren't nearly as tight as Sesshoumaru's." She stared at him for a moment, trying to decide if he was being serious, until his face broke and the shifty grin appeared. She couldn't help but smile back at him, despite herself. 

"Ok, smart ass, get down here!" she ordered. Releasing his death grip on the cat, who ran for cover the instant he was free, Inuyasha walked halfway down the stairs, to meet her in the middle. 

"Please be good." She pleaded, taking his hands into her own. "And try to keep your hands in your pockets, those claws are scary."

"I will." he promised reluctantly as she dragged him down the stairs.

"Ok you guys, this is it!" she called ahead of her as they walked hand in hand into the kitchen. The mind-numbing chatter of the teenage girls ceased instantly as the new target of their scrutiny entered the room. "Girls, this is Inuyasha. Inuyasha, this is Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi. These are my best friends." Inuyasha bowed his head slightly, then stared silently at the girls. The girls stared back at him, smiling like idiots. When they didn't explode into squeals and start listing his many wonderful attributes after a few seconds, he started to get angry and scowled at them, which ironically did the trick and started them giggling again. 

"Kawaii! Look at that little puppy face!" Yuka whispered to Ayumi, which made Inuyasha's scowl turn into a glare. What the hell?! That same girl had just said that Sesshoumaru looked tough! He was the one who looked tough! Sesshoumaru was the one who looked like a girl.

"You're tall too, though not as tall…"

"You can really see the family resemblance, just look at that hair and those eyes!"

"Do you have all your parts?" Eri teased, winking at him indecently. Kagome turned a lovely shade of crimson, but that was nothing compared to the fire-engine red she turned when Inuyasha answered sullenly, 

"All the parts that count." and set them off tittering again. Desperate to change the subject, Kagome began to think out loud. 

"Hmm, Souta and Sesshoumaru are watching television in the living room, so why don't we all just sit down in the dining room? I can get some chips and soda."

"Good idea, Kagome-chan!" Eri prompted. "Why don't you do that, and leave Inuyasha here so that we can get to know him a little better."

"Uh, not just yet!" Kagome said quickly. "I'll, um, need his help to bring everything in here! Come on, Inuyasha!" she said quickly before Eri could come up with another argument. Inuyasha followed right on her heels, essentially fleeing the room. As they left, Eri made a show of fanning her face and pulling at her collar, which sent the other two into hysterics. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Kagome was searching through cabinets while berating her hanyou. 

"What is wrong with you?" she scolded once she was sure they were out of earshot. "You're not even trying to be friendly! Would it kill you to smile?"

"I can't!" he whispered back sharply.

"Oh really? Would you care to tell me why?" Rolling his eyes like he thought she was the biggest imbecile in the entire world, Inuyasha flashed her a toothy grin. In fact, the grin was a little too toothy for Kagome's comfort, especially the two long, gleaming canine fangs that stuck out on either side. 

"Oh…" Kagome muttered, embarrassed. "I hadn't thought about that." 

"Yeah, well, it's a good thing one of us did." 

"Well, just give them that smart ass grin you're always giving me. At least it's a smile." Kagome instructed as she handed him two large bottles of Coke, one for each arm. "Let's get back in there, they're waiting."

"I don't think they like me." he complained. 

"Don't be paranoid!" she hissed back as they returned to the dining room. As they walked in, they found that the girls had already claimed their spots, kneeling around the table. The way they had positioned themselves forced Kagome to sit apart from Inuyasha, and put Inuyasha in between Yuka and Eri, a dangerous place to be if ever there was one. After giggling for a few minutes at their own cleverness, Eri turned to speak to Inuyasha.

"So, Inuyasha." she said pleasantly, "Where are you from?"

"I live not too far from here, actually." he answered, trying to keep his voice from shaking or reverting to the overly gruff, defensive tone he normally used when backed into a corner. 

"Really? Kagome-chan says you don't go to school around here, and I know I've never seen you in our school. I wouldn't have forgotten that incredible hair of yours." Eri said, flirting mercilessly. 

"Ah, I don't go to school anymore." he stated simply.

"You don't? How old are you?" Kagome shot him a panicked glance from across the table.

"Uhh…seventeen?" he answered hesitantly. He looked at Kagome for approval, and she gave him a slight nod.

"Shouldn't you be in high school then?" Not knowing what a high school was, let alone whether or not he should be in one, Inuyasha's eyes sought Kagome's face imploringly.

"He didn't take the entrance exams." Kagome supplied helpfully. "School's not really his thing."

"No, school's not really my thing." Inuyasha parroted.

"Oohh…." the girls chorused. 

"What is your 'thing'?" Ayumi asked curiously.

"He works…at a…shrine! That's how we met." Kagome said, suddenly inspired. 

"Wow! That's so adorable." Ayumi sighed. "I bet you look cute in those old-fashioned robes, Inuyasha."

"I think so." Kagome said quietly, sending a loving smile down the table to her koibito. 

"So, Inuyasha, huh? That's an unusual name. Where did you get it?" Yuka asked before popping a potato chip into her mouth.

"My mother and father." Inuyasha said slowly, now certain that these girls were complete idiots.

"No!" Yuka laughed. It was a high, screeching sound that hurt his ears slightly. "I mean where did they get it? Is it a family name?"

"Yes." he said simply, not wishing to elaborate and not sure what he would say even if he wanted to. 

"Why 'dog demon'?" Eri asked. Inuyasha shrugged.

"Why 'killing perfection' (Sesshoumaru)? I don't know. I never thought to ask."

"Well, next time you see them, you might want to ask them. Then you can let us know. About both names." she added.

"I doubt that. They're both dead."

"Oh!" the three girls exclaimed sadly. 

"Poor thing!"

"An orphan!"

"Gomen nasi, Inuyasha."

"Don't worry about it. It happened when I was four or five, I think. I barely remember either one of them." he lied. 

"So, does that mean you were raised by your big brother?" Ayumi asked. Inuyasha forced himself to nod, instead of doing what he'd rather do, and punch a hole in the floor. 

"No wonder he's so good with Souta, Kagome-chan!" Yuka whispered excitedly.

"How DID he lose an arm?" Ayumi asked.

"I-" Inuyasha began, before looking at Kagome who was shaking her head violently and giving him the eye. "He had an accident."

"_Was_ it a motorcycle accident? I was only guessing!" Yuka exclaimed. Inuyasha shrugged again.

"Sure." 

"Enough about that! What I really want to know is are you two really close?" Eri asked hopefully, trying to get the lowdown on the easily six-foot-five, silver haired demi-god that was sitting in the living room watching anime.

"No. He's an asshole." Inuyasha grumbled.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome hissed from across the table.

"What? He is. Don't defend him again."

"I'm sorry." Eri said sympathetically, placing her hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "I didn't mean to upset you or make you feel uncomfortable. Let's change the subject."

"Sooo….Inuyasha….you like the Yankees?" Yuka said, noticing the hat. Kagome cringed and prepared for the coming disaster.

"Not really." he said, completely unfazed. "Sesshoumaru's really the baseball fan. I'm just happy that Hideki Matsui is playing on an American team." To say that Kagome was shocked would be an understatement. It was more along the lines of her eyes popping out of her head and her jaw hitting the table simultaneously. While the other girls began to talk amongst themselves about the many physical merits of athletes, Inuyasha turned his head slightly to look at Kagome and favored her with a small, smug grin. She couldn't help but grin right back. After that, the rest of the visit was a complete success. Her friends found Inuyasha to be absolutely adorable, and they seemed to like it especially when he scowled at them. 

Once their cartoon was over, Sesshoumaru and Souta, as good as their word, left the living room and went quietly back upstairs. At least, Sesshoumaru was quiet. Souta had a lot to say in an overly loud, dramatic voice about the destruction of Majin Buu. A few seconds after they left, Higurashi-san shooed the teens into the living room so that she could start setting the table for dinner. As the girls went on ahead, Kagome hung back in the dining room a moment and grabbed Inuyasha's hand to keep him with her. 

"Inuyasha, you were amazing!" she said, throwing her arms around him in a great big, warm hug. 

"That remains to be seen." he said, returning the hug and planting a kiss on her ear for good measure. 

"No, they're totally impressed!" Kagome said, putting her hands into the back pockets of his jeans and smiling up at him. "You don't have to worry at all."

"I wasn't talking about them." he said gravely, moving his hands slowly up and down her back. "I was talking about later tonight, after they leave and everyone else in the house is fast asleep…" 

"Hentai…" she giggled. "Who said we were going to be doing that?"

"Hey, after having to spend an entire evening with those…" he trailed off when she frowned at him, then amended "…friends of yours, not to mention that amazing recovery over the hat, I think you owe me one."

"Sorry, Koishii, it doesn't work that way. Now let's go, or they're going to think that we're making out in here." She had released him from the embrace and started for the door when he grabbed her from behind. 

"If they're going to think that anyway…" he drawled out lazily, pulling her backward into his chest. He slid his hand under the bottom of her blouse and lightly dragged his claws over the soft skin on her tummy.

"Stop! That tickles!" She squirmed gently in his arms, trying to escape his probing fingers. 

"Yeah? I wonder where else you're ticklish…" he breathed into her ear, his hand turning to move north as he ran his tongue over her earlobe. 

"Stop…Not now!" she protested, a bit unconvincingly, as she leaned further into his body. He turned her face to one side and slowly licked her across her entire cheek. 

"Kagome-chan!" Yuka called as she reentered the dining room, then "Oops!" She giggled, starting to blush. "Sorry. We were just wondering what happened to you two." Her eyes jumped from Kagome's embarrassed face to Inuyasha's irritated one. 

"We were just about to join you three." Kagome explained quickly.

"Hmm. I'm sure."

"Yuka!" Kagome scolded, blushing furiously.

"Alright, alright. Come on!" she chirped. Then when neither Kagome nor Inuyasha moved, she added "Come on you two love-birds. We're still here, don't forget!"

"Feh. Like I could." Inuyasha grumbled, and Kagome elbowed him in the ribs.

"Don't mind him, Yuka. He's been sick the last two days, and I guess he's still cranky." 

"I like him when he's cranky, Kagome-chan!" Yuka whispered conspiratorially. "It's so hot when he growls like that! If I was his girlfriend, I'd do things to deliberately get him mad all the time, just so he could growl at me!"

"Trust me, Yuka, it gets old pretty quickly." Kagome sighed as they entered the living room to find Eri and Ayumi already sitting on either end of the sofa. 

"Here, Inuyasha. We saved you a seat!" Eri chuckled, patting the middle cushion. Inuyasha gave Kagome a pained look, which she answered with a shrug. Sighing softly to himself, he sat down between the two girls, folding his arms tightly over his chest so no part of his body would accidentally come in contact with either of them. 

After a few minutes, however, he began to loosen up. The worst of the evening's conversation appeared to be over, as they seemed to no longer feel the need to interrogate him. He even began to sort of enjoy the sound of their chatter, their voices continuously overlapping so that the room was never really silent. The sound reminded him of the drone of honeybees. The girls themselves reminded him of bees as well; Fascinating to watch, but you didn't want to get too close. They talked about any number of things, from school, to food, to boys, their hair… but mostly, they talked about him, as if he weren't really sitting there on the couch in the same room. What really surprised him, however, was that he found that he didn't really mind. After all, when you got right down to it, most of what they said was very flattering, and the rest was at least well-intentioned. And it was different. Kagome never fawned all over him in such an obvious manner. It was kind of amusing, not to mention a huge ego-boost. After about half an hour, he was in such a good mood that he couldn't even pretend to be annoyed anymore. He even agreed to flex one of his arms so that they could feel the bicep, per Yuka's request, cracking a smile when they ooh'd and ahh'd over the size of his muscle. Yes, overall, he was feeling quite pleased with himself. 

Unfortunately, it was right about that time that he first heard the noise. 

It was a high, shrill sound that pierced the very air around him and made him instinctively flatten his ears against his head beneath the baseball cap, a grimace unconsciously working it's way onto his face.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, noticing his distress, "What's wrong?"

"That noise hurts my ears!" he grunted. 

"What noise?" The four women stared at him owlishly, their conversation stopping abruptly at almost the exact same time that the sound stopped. 

"That loud noise…" he stammered, confused. "That screeching…didn't you-?"

"What are you talking about, silly boy?!" Eri teased. "There wasn't any noise!"

"Maybe your ears are ringing?" Ayumi suggested. "Did you go to that 'Do as Infinity' concert the other night?" This prompted the girls to forget about Inuyasha completely as they launched into a conversation concerning their favorite musicians; who was hot, who was talented but also a slut, and so on. Inuyasha would have been perfectly content to drown back into their ceaseless chatter. After that nasty assault on his hearing, their droning would have been downright comforting. But he didn't get that opportunity, as the screeching sound was back again. He squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, doing his best to ignore it and behave, despite the fact that he felt very much like he was going to vomit all over the living room floor. Then it stopped again, and he began to wonder if he was going crazy, because the girls seemed completely oblivious to it. Sure, he had overly sensitive ears, but still, how could they miss such a piercing, horrible sound? It was excruciating! What could be causing it? He didn't have long to mull over the possibilities; the noise was starting again. All told, he sat through six repetitions, each one growing louder and longer than the last, and more insistent as the intervals between them shortened. Finally, Kagome looked over at him and was startled by how sick he appeared. 

"Inuyasha, are you sure you're Ok? You look pale!"

"M'ok." he muttered wetly. "S'cuse me." He bolted up the stairs in search of the bathroom, when it started again. This time it was so loud that it dropped him like a stone on the top step.

"Are you alright up there?" Kagome called up the stairs when she heard the loud thump of his body hitting the floor. 

"Ahh." he called back insensibly. When the screeching had mercifully ceased, he pushed himself up onto his knees. It was up here. Whatever it was, it was up here. He stumbled down the hall to Souta's room, then threw the door open without knocking. Inside, Souta was sitting at his desk, something shiny and metallic hanging out of his mouth. Sesshoumaru was laying on his stomach on Souta's bed, one ear covered by his hand, the other stuffed against a pillow. When he saw Inuyasha's face, he dropped the pillow and started to laugh quietly to himself. 

"My my, if it isn't the little ningen male?" 

"What are you guys doing up here?" Inuyasha panted raggedly. "How are you making that awful noise?"

"What noise, Inu-niichan?" Souta asked a little too innocently. 

"That awful screeching noise!" he barked, then clutched at his stomach as he doubled over and almost lost it. When he had regained a hold over himself, he continued. "How are you doing it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Oto-chan." Sesshoumaru said with a tiny smile. "Why don't you go back downstairs? You have company." 

"Alright, very funny. Whatever you're doing, please stop! It hurts and it's making me feel sick!"

"I'm sure it doesn't hurt as much as losing a limb." Sesshoumaru said evenly, his face betraying nothing. Souta, however, cracked like a cheap glass.

"Oh Inu-niichan, I'm sorry! I didn't know it would hurt you! I was just showing Sesshou-niichan my dog whistle, and he said wouldn't it be fun to see if you could hear it from all the way downstairs, cause you're part dog and you have those super ears, you know? So I blew it and you didn't come upstairs right away, so Sesshou-niichan said that I needed to do it louder, and he covered his ears even though I couldn't hear anything at all, but he said-"

"You son of a bitch!" Inuyasha growled at Sesshoumaru.

"What's your point?" Sesshoumaru said with a smirk.

"You promised you wouldn't interfere! You PROMISED! But the thing that really pisses me off is that like an idiot, I actually believed you wouldn't! You broke your word to me, Sesshoumaru!" 

"Inuyasha, don't be ridiculous. I never once left this room, nor did I bother the wegome or her insipid little followers. I have kept my promise. You, on the other hand, promised to leave me in peace, and you have failed miserably. Now get out of here before I have to ruin your nice new clothing." 


	27. Dinner and Dessert

Chapter 27: Dinner and Desert

Inuyasha looked at his brother is if he couldn't decide which was better; staying here and beating the crap out of him again and risking ruining his news clothes or going back downstairs to the giggling idiots his koibito called her friends. Fortunately the matter was decided for him when he heard Kagome coming up the stairs to see what happened to him.

"Inuyasha? Are you sure you're alright? You're awfully quiet up there…" 

"He's fine Wegome and he was just leaving. Sota and I were playing with his whistle that makes no sound…but apparently it does and my poor Oto-chan heard it. We had no idea it would make him feel so ill." He called out to her as she made her way to Sota's room. "See he fine now. I will see to it that Sota-kun doesn't play with it anymore. You know what… here Wegome," he handed her the offending whistle as she entered the room. "You'd better keep it and then we can be sure no one will touch it. By the way how long is it until dinner? Sota-kun and I are hungry. Would it be alright if we came downstairs for a snack?" he said in his most innocent voice. 

"Uh…sure…Inuyasha ummm… let's go back downstairs before I have to explain why my door is missing…" Kagome tugged on her koibito's arm and half dragged him out of there. 

"I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch! He had Sota blowing that stupid dog whistle! I thought my ears were going to explode!" he muttered as Sota and Sesshomaru walked passed them on their way downstairs. 

"Please….Inuyasha we can deal with him later. Come let's just forget him and go hang out with my friends." She pleaded as Eri called up the stairs, "Everything alright?" 

"Yes Eri! He's fine now…Inuyasha is still feeling a bit sick…. Ummmm…I don't know."

"I'm fine Eri-chan! I just needed some of that tyleno-stuff for my head, which Kagome just found for me. We'll be right down, ok?" Inuyasha took Kagome's hand, which made her smile and they went back downstairs to join everyone. Inuyasha however found that he wished he had actually taken the stupid stuff as there was Sesshomaru sitting at the table with Yuka hanging all over him before Eri rushed in to get her fair share of hanging on too. 

"Feeling better Oto-chan? I hope you both don't mind if we sit here and have some of your snacks. Sota-kun and I are a bit hungry, aren't we?"

"Ummm…yes Sessho-kun. Kagome can you get some more chips? I'd get them but I'm showing Ayumi my drawing of Goku and Sessho-kun doesn't know where they are. Thanks Nee-san!" turning back to Ayumi he showed her one that Sesshomaru had made earlier. "And this one Sessho-kun made for me! It's Vegita!" Kagome gave him a look like he suddenly grew another head, but left anyways and was soon back with the chips as well as another two glasses in case Sesshomaru or her brother decided they were thirsty. 

Inuyasha meanwhile sat there as everyone ignored him in favor of his older brother and 'adopted' younger brother. _"I can't believe they are drooling over him like that! And the stupid asshole is eating it all up too. Geeze this is sickening! Gotta think of something to get rid of him and fast…"_ he thought as he watched his older brother sit there and giggle along with the girls like the mindless idiot he always claimed Inuyasha was. 

"So do you like have a girlfriend or something?" Yuka asked as she sat there gazing into his eyes while Eri tried her best to get Sesshomaru to look at her. 

"No…not at the moment. The only …"

He was cut off by Inuyasha who said just a bit too loudly, "He doesn't like girls, do you Sesshomaru?" He sat back and smirked as everyone looked at Sesshomaru.

"As a matter of fact…Inuyasha is right. I don't really care for girls…I prefer women…because they are so much more experienced…" At their disappointed looks he added, "It is merely because I have a young daughter waiting for me at home…" he looked pointedly at his brother as he said that. "And she needs me…and well she needs a woman to look after her when I can't. And no Inuyasha, I don't feel Jaken, he's a friend of mine by the way… is capable of looking after her properly." He sighed. "It's just that I needed a babysitter on such short notice… I mean I have these stupid chicken spots and well I just didn't want to make my little Rin-chan sick…and Jaken offered to look after her for me as he's done it before. You do think I did the right thing by leaving her at home with her friends, while I came here to recover?"

Cries of "oh yes, yes!", "you poor thing! It must be sooo hard to be a single parent!" and "oh how sweet! You must be soooo worried about her!" were heard as Kagome's friends jumped to reassure the Youkai that he did the right thing. However Sesshomaru was starting to find all the fussing and especially the touching a bit trying. The fact that they were "ningen idiots" didn't help either, but he put up with it the best he could as he knew it bothered the hell out of Inuyasha. 

After a while when he was becoming dangerously close to losing his patience, Higarashi-san came in to announce that dinner was almost ready and she wondering if someone would help her set the table. Sesshomaru of course jumped at the opportunity to escape the nattering for a few minutes and Inuyasha silently laughed at him as he got up to help. "It's alright Sessho-kun, you're a guest…" Higarashi-san started to say.

'But I have taken advantage of your hospitality for far too long, and it would give me great pleasure to help you." 

"We'll help you too Higarashi-san!" the girls cried as Sesshomaru inwardly cringed. Stealing a side long glance at his younger brother, Sesshomaru was annoyed to see him enjoying himself. He would have dearly loved to have been able to wipe that smug self satisfied look off Inuyasha's face; however he couldn't and what made it worse was the fact that Inuyasha knew it too. So bowing to the inevitable, he followed Higarashi-san into the kitchen and in turn was followed by Kagome's friends. He was to find that there really wasn't anything for him to do as the girls insisted on doing everything. He found that to be a good thing too, as it gave him a few minutes peace alone in the kitchen with Higarashi-san.

"They're good girls Sessho-kun, really they are…it's just that teenage girls don't know when to…uuhhh… shut up as it were." She smiled and laughed in an effort to lift his spirits. 

"I know that, Higarashi-sama or else you wouldn't let your daughter be friends with them… and they do remind me a bit of my Rin-chan….she too on occasion, will chatter away like that." He looked so sad and wistful at the mention of Rin's name. 

"I'm sure you'll be home soon…it must be hard being here worrying about her without a way to contact her." She reached out to touch his arm in a motherly way and he found that this he didn't mind the contact this time. Changing the subject to clear the silence that hung in the air between them, Higarashi-san went on, "By the way I'm making tempura as I think that would be the easiest for you to manage comfortably. I know you had a bit of trouble last night…and well since there are other dinner guests today instead of just family…"

"Arigatou, Higarashi-sama…I appreciate you taking my feelings into the matter….. Anno…is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Ummm…here take this and put it on the table for me." She said as she handed him a tray with various dipping sauces as well as a few bowls of pickled vegetables which she instructed him to put in the center of the table. When he had everything carefully balance in one arm, he left followed by Higarashi-san with a tray of tempura. 

"Itadakimasu!" everyone said as they began to pass the food around. Sesshomaru was grateful to find he was sitting between Higarashi-san and Sota, much to the girls' disappointment, and the meal passed quickly. Once again the girls tried to help Sesshomaru clean up, but Higarashi-san told them to go sit and enjoy themselves as Sota will help too, much to Sesshomaru's relief. 

So without the older brother to fuss over, Kagome's friends turned to the younger and Kagome found that she was going to have to do something special to make it all up to Inuyasha. She could see that he was starting to get the same glazed look in his eyes, Sesshomaru had earlier as her friends chatted on about school which led the conversation around to Hojo and the school dance. 

"So are you taking Kagome-chan to the dance this Friday night, Inuyasha-kun?"

"Yeah, you know it was a good thing Hojo-kun asked you to go this morning as I don't think we would have ever gotten the chance to meet you. For some reason..." Yuka looked at her friends and winked. "Kagome-chan wanted to keep you all to herself! I can't imagine why…seeing as you're so sweet and all, not like the monster she likes us to believe you are, right Kagome-chan?"

'Heeeh…Yuka-chan I never said anything like that!" She flashed her friends a look that said 'I'll kill if you so much as hint anything like that, true or not!' before turning to her koibito with a smile. "You see now why I didn't want to introduce you to them, Koishii…look at how hard they're trying to steal you away from me. As if I'd ever say anything bad about you?" she crinkled up her nose and shook her head slightly as if they were rubbing noses together. Leaning her head on his shoulder she went on, "You know I was thinking of taking him to the dance…but seeing as how you three are trying hard to steal my Inuyasha away from me, how can I manage with a whole gym full of girls trying to do the same thing? So as much as I'd love to be there showing him off I can't. And don't think of getting Hojo-kun to ask me to go with him either! We all know I told him about Inuyasha, so it wouldn't be fair of me to get Hojo-kun's hopes up by going with him, so I guess I'll just have to miss it…" she leaned back into Inuyasha which caused him to kiss the top of her head. This made the other girls giggle and call out 'Kawaii!' while Inuyasha sat there with a silly grin plastered on his face. 

"Speaking of 'kawaii'…care to join us Sessho-kun?" This was said as the tall Youkai passed by on his way upstairs to play with Sota. 

"Noosankyuu. Sota and I are off to play with his ahhh…what do you call those things again?"

"Transformers. Or we can play with my Gundams if you want?"

"Ainiku…but as you ladies can see I'm rather busy…perhaps another time?" with that the two of them left and headed back up to Sota's room.

They chatted on about nothing in particular and after a while Inuyasha wished he could have escaped along with his brother and Sota. Higarashi-san too, made a brief appearance as she checked to see if they wanted any more snacks or drinks before going outside to help Jii-san move a few things around the small shop at the shrine. 

Thankfully before he died of boredom or Sesshomaru put Sota up to any more mischief, the girls left. 

"Well what did you think of them?"

Not wanting to chase away the smile on Kagome's face, Inuyasha paused to think before answering. "They're ummm…interesting?"

"Interesting? These are my friends here Inuyasha, not some species of toad we're talking about here." She frowned.

That did it, for he really hated to see her upset, so he told the first thing that popped into his head. "No they're really very nice…I just didn't want you to think they were stealing me away from you; that's all…."

That did the trick and he was rewarded for all his troubles that evening by her launching herself into his arms. After standing there and kissing for what Inuyasha was sure was too short a time, she took him by the hand and led him upstairs. 

"So can we …do that thing again? You know the one you called 'making up' or was it 'making out'?"

She giggled. "My… aren't we the impatient one! I never realized what a little horn-dog you are! In fact I think you're worse than Miroku!" She teased as he grabbed her again; this time in a tighter embrace and kissed her. "Inuyasha! Careful or we'll have Sesshomaru in here again yelling at us! I really don't want them playing in here when I want to play with my little Horn-dog in private!"

He growled at her again in defeat for he knew she wasn't giving him any idle threats; they both knew Sesshomaru would be here in an instant if he thought they were up to no good. Trouble was Sesshomaru's idea of 'no good' was Inuyasha's idea of 'very good to excellent.' When it sounded like they were headed for the bath he seized the opportunity, glad that the sound of the shower would drown out any noise the two of them made. 


	28. Finally!

Chapter 28: Finally! 

Sesshoumaru opened the bathroom door and stepped out into the hallway, closely followed by a thick, white cloud of steam and the wegome's little brother. As strange and harrowing as this entire experience had been, and as much as he was anxious to return home, he had to admit that he was going to miss the warmth and convenience of the mechanical bath. He had never felt so clean before in his life as he had in the last 48 hours. 

"Hey Sessho-kun!" Souta exclaimed excitedly, jumping up and down in one place. "You want to learn how to play a video game? Inuyasha picked it up really quickly, so I bet you could, too!"

"Thank you, but no." He said quietly, shaking his long, silvery mane, which now smelled remarkably like strawberries, thanks to Higurashi-san's soaps. "I'm beginning to feel very weary from lack of sleep. I think I'll turn in for the night."

"Aw, come on! It's only 8:30!" Souta whined, tugging on the youkai's arm. "Just stay up for another half hour, then it'll be my bedtime anyway!" While Sesshoumaru tried his best to think up a diplomatic way out of having to play with Souta yet again, the sound of the downstairs door opening reached his ears, signifying the return of Higurashi-san and Jii-chan from the shrine. 

"Souta! Kagome!" Higurashi-san called up the stairs as she passed by, "I want you to brush your teeth now. After what happened last night, I want everyone in bed early!"

"Aw, Mama!" Souta protested loudly. "I got plenty of sleep last night! It's not fair!"

"Well, I'm sorry dear, but your sister did not and she'll be sleeping in your room again, so I'm afraid you'll just have to go to bed now like everyone else. Now get moving! I'm going to be up there in five minutes, and I expect you to be in bed by the time I get there!"

"Oh man…" he grumbled under his breath. "Yes Mama! Excuse me, Sessho-kun. I have to go brush my teeth…" Souta walked back into the bathroom and closed the door behind him, as hard as he could without making too much noise. He was angry, but he wasn't stupid. Sesshoumaru, meanwhile, was breathing a small sigh of relief at his good fortune. Unlike his small human friend, he was not in the least disappointed by Higurashi-san's edict. He was looking forward to sleep, and perhaps tonight he could "convince" Inuyasha that it was his turn for the bed… But as he was about to walk into the wench's bedroom, he collided with the wegome herself, who was coming out at the exact same time that he was going in. 

"Oh!" the girl exclaimed, looking up timidly at the youkai. "Excuse me, Sesshoumaru." Was it his imagination, or was she blushing? If not, there was definitely something different about the girl…what could it be? 

"Ah, Goodnight!" the wegome said hastily, moving around him to dart down the hallway to her brother's room. 

"Odd…" Sesshoumaru whispered to himself. What was going on? He had just turned his back on the girl in favor of sleep, when he realized what had been different. She hadn't been wearing the same clothing that she'd had on at dinner. She had been wearing a long red shirt with a white stripe across it, that fell just above her knees. True, it was her bedroom, and she may have changed into her bed clothing…but if he was not mistaken, he had seen that shirt before. Sesshoumaru whipped his head around in time to see Kagome step into Souta's room and close the door behind her. Was that not the very shirt that his brother had worn to dinner that evening? And speaking of the whelp, where was he? He hadn't seen Inuyasha stray more than a few feet from the wench's side all night, so where was he hiding now? Well, he supposed it didn't really matter, as long as the girl was where she was supposed to be for the night. That decided, he tried to put Inuyasha out of his mind and finally entered the bedroom. Upon entering, however, he was hit full in the face with the thick, unmistakable smell of lust, sweat and a hanyou and his wench who hadn't been sitting idle while their chaperone had been occupied with the mechanical bath. Breathing shallowly through his mouth, he continued into the room and discovered where his brother had been hiding. Inuyasha was laying in the wegome's bed, a blanket pulled up to his waist, revealing a bare torso that hinted of a similarly bare lower half beneath the sheets. His hands were clasped beneath his head and his eyes were closed, but what caught Sesshoumaru's eye was the enormous, self-satisfied smile on the whelp's face. 

"It smells in here." Sesshoumaru sneered as he carefully picked his way across the room, trying to avoid stepping on the seeming multitudes of clothing that were strewn about the bedroom floor. Without opening his eyes or losing the smile, Inuyasha breathed in deeply through his nose, his chest rising as his lungs filled to their capacity, then slowly released the breath with a happy groan.

"Mmmm…smells fine in here to me…"

"Congratulations, oto-chan. I think I'm going to be ill." Sesshoumaru began to kick disgustedly at the clothes on the ground, pushing them away from the center of the room and toward the walls. If he was to sleep on the ground, it wouldn't be on a pile of rags that reeked mockingly of his failure to keep his idiot brother off of Higurashi-san's daughter. 

"That's a shame…" Inuyasha sighed happily. "You know, I feel so relaxed… I think I could sleep for another fifty years."

"Wonderful." Sesshoumaru said flatly as he circled a few times before curling up in the spot he'd cleared on the ground. "Now that you've managed to ruin the daughter of our hostess, do you think we could go home?"

"Don't worry." Inuyasha said, rolling onto his side and propping himself up on his elbow to look down at his brother. "I'm just as anxious as you are to end this family reunion. We'll head back first thing tomorrow morning. We could have left tonight, but for some reason I'm so tired…" he yawned, his mouth becoming a cavernous smile for a few seconds, then tilting his head to one side, he cracked his neck with a tiny grunt. "I think I'm actually sore." 

"Enough." Sesshoumaru grumbled wearily. "It's bad enough that I have to smell it, I don't want to have to hear about it as well."

"Really?" Inuyasha yawned again, returning to his back. "That's very interesting, seeing as how you've been so involved with all of my previous attempts at this. Actually, I must confess that I'm a little surprised that you haven't heard already, even from down the hall with the water running…" Inuyasha's voice slowed to a halt, and both youkai paused to listen. Someone was approaching the bedroom. A second later, Higurashi-san appeared at the top of the stairs. She knocked lightly on the doorframe, and Sesshoumaru softly called "Come in." before Inuyasha could stop him. She entered the room, and Inuyasha said a silent prayer of thanks that she was human, and therefore couldn't smell the lingering mating scent that he and Sesshoumaru were both all too aware of. 

"Inuyasha," she said quietly. "I'm ready to speak to you now." The room was dark, so he had trouble reading her face, but there was something in her voice that he found unsettling. Of course, he might have just been nervous about the fact that beneath the thin pink sheets, he wasn't wearing any pants. 

"But Higurashi-san, I thought we already spoke this morning!"

"This morning we discussed your relationship with your brother." she said, nodding her head slightly to Sesshoumaru. "But if you'll recall, when you returned to the house this morning, I promised that we would be discussing _everything_ before the day was out. Now follow me, please." She stood in the doorway, waiting expectantly for him to throw back the covers and hop out of the bed. Instead, the boy squirmed uncomfortably under her gaze and turned slightly red, refusing to look her in the eye. Unless she was imagining things, he was feeling guilty about something. 

"Hai, Higurashi-san…. Do you think I could meet you in the hall in a few seconds?"

"Alright, Inuyasha." she said, casting him a suspicious, side-long glance as she turned to leave the room. "Hurry up." 

Inuyasha scrambled out of the bed as soon as he was sure that she wasn't going to come back in, revealing what his brother had suspected all along. Sesshoumaru turned his head away from his brother's naked body, pretending that he was disgusted, but actually trying to hide the evil smile that had leapt, unbidden, onto his lips. While Inuyasha fumbled hurriedly with his hakama in a desperate attempt to dress himself from the waist down, Sesshoumaru bit his tongue to keep his amusement from escaping those same upturned lips. Inuyasha glared at his brother, angry that Sesshoumaru hadn't given him the opportunity to put something on before inviting the mother of his mate into the bedroom, before stepping out into the hallway to meet whatever destiny Higurashi-san had in store for him. 

"This way, please, Inuyasha." she said without looking at him as she started down the hallway. "I don't think the entire household needs to hear what I have to say to you." He followed her without question, until they reached the door to Souta's room and he noticed that someone had pasted a demon ward over the door knob. Curious to see if it was real, he reached his hand out to touch it, and amazingly began to feel a prickly heat sensation in his fingertips. As his hand inched closer, the prickles exploded into tiny bolts of electricity. He cursed under his breath, trying to shake the jolt of pain from his hand. 

"Higurashi-jiji made these?" he asked, both confused and startled at the same time. He'd never known the old man to be capable of successfully performing even the most rudimentary of spells, especially demon wards.

"I insisted that Souta be 'allowed to help, so that he could learn'." Higurashi-san explained a little proudly. Inuyasha's eyes widened and his jaw went slack as he stared more closely at the ward. He was familiar with crayons, Kagome had brought some back to his side of the well for Shippou one time, and if he was not mistaken, it was with a black crayon that the words 'demon begone' had been written on the wards. 

"Souta…" Inuyasha breathed, unable to disguise the awe and wonder in his voice. 

"Don't be too surprised." Higurashi-san warned. "You already know that Kagome has amazing gifts and talents for a such a young girl…it's in their blood." Inuyasha nodded, but then his face changed to one of confusion and mild humor.

"What happened to Higurashi-jiji?" 

"Well, I suppose that every now and then it skips a generation or two…" she said with a sigh. "Oh, you should know, there are wards on the bedroom window, too. I'm sorry, but you haven't given me a lot of reason to trust you in the last few days. I wasn't taking any more chances." 

From down the hall in Kagome's bedroom, Inuyasha could hear the soft sound of laughter, though he couldn't be sure what Sesshoumaru found funny, the fact that Kagome had been locked away from him, the fact that her little brother had more spiritual power than her grandfather, or the fact that Higurashi-san was taking precautions against her daughter's virtue about half an hour too late. 

"Higurashi-san…" Inuyasha began. She silenced him with a hard look. 

"In a second, Inuyasha. Here." she said, stopping before the door of her own bedroom. "Come inside and we'll begin our discussion in earnest." She opened the door and stood to one side in the hallway, waiting for him to enter. He looked into the room, then back at her face, then back into the room again, before resigning himself and entering. Higurashi-san followed close behind, closing the door behind them with a soft 'click'. 

"Now," Higurashi-san began, folding her arms over her chest. "I understand that you and my daughter have been friends for quite some time now, and that it's only natural at your…well, at least, her age that you've begun to develop very strong feelings for one another, feelings that a man and woman-"

"Higurashi-san-" he interrupted, his face flushed. 

"Now wait a second! You'll get your chance. I realize that I can't control what happens once you leave here, and I won't stop Kagome from leaving with you, but I need your assurance that your intentions toward my daughter are honorable. You're a good boy, Inuyasha, and if you give me your word, I'll trust you to keep it." As she stared at him intently, Inuyasha began to feel about a hair lower than slime. He could hear the trust in her voice, and he found himself unable to raise his eyes to meet her gaze. He was going to have to explain things to her. She deserved that much, and it was his responsibility as Kagome's mate to work out such negotiations with her family. 

"Higurashi-san…" he began slowly. "I promise that from this moment on, I will respect your wishes… in this house. I also promise that when Kagome is with me in my world, that I will protect her with my life, until the day I die. But, Higurashi-san… as far as- I mean, between Kagome and me, that is…we've…" Higurashi-san's eyes narrowed as he stammered idiotically, so he took one last deep breath and let it all out in a rush.

"I've already claimed your daughter as my mate!" 

Higurashi-san put her hand to her forehead, her elbow propped up on the other arm that still rested across her chest. 

"Inuyasha, tell me you're talking about a verbal agreement…" she said without looking at him.

"No, I'm afraid not."

"In my own home, Inuyasha?" She said sadly, finally looking up at him. He nodded, trying not to feel ashamed of himself, but finding it difficult. 

"But I didn't force her, no matter what Sesshoumaru said." Higurashi-san favored him with a tight, pained smile and nodded in return.

"So I was right… you weren't wearing anything when I went in to get you just now, were you?" He furrowed his eyebrows and opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. "No, no, no, never mind! I don't want to know…" She lamented, closing her eyes and shaking her head fast and repeatedly. With a morose sigh, she sat down heavily on the bed. 

"Did you at least…use any…protection?" she asked, searching his young face for the truth, but getting only a blank stare in return.

"We didn't need any." he said, confused but trying to be reassuring. "I can smell when danger's coming." In fact, at that very moment, he could smell it. He wasn't at all happy with the way Higurashi-san's scent and heartbeat kept fluctuating rapidly. 

"No, no, dear…oh no…though I suppose that answers my question…" she groaned, burying her face in her hands. Inuyasha sat down on the bed beside her, staring at his new mother uncertainly. Slowly and carefully, he brought his hand to the center of her back and rubbed up and down in the same comforting gesture that his own mother had used on him, when he was little more than a baby. 

"Okaasan?" he whispered, hoping to pull her out of her melancholy. "Maybe you're not seeing this in quite the same way that I do. It's really better this way." She shot him a dirty look, one he'd seen countless times on Kagome's face, but never her mother's. 

"Don't presume to tell me what's better for my child, Inuyasha. Maybe in your tradition, she is already your wife to do with as you please, but in THIS HOUSE, all you have done is further complicate an already absurdly complicated situation! How can I let her run off with you, knowing what I know now? Knowing what you'll be doing once you reach the other side of the well? How can I trust you now?" 

At the base of his spine, Inuyasha felt a cold stab of panic that raced up to heart. She wouldn't stop Kagome from going back with him, would she? That couldn't be allowed!

"Higurashi-san," he said, reverting back to formality in an attempt to appease her, "you don't understand! In my time, there are all kinds of male youkai who are after Kagome!" He had hoped that this would appeal to her maternal instincts, but when her eyes began to widen, he realized that he had probably said the wrong thing again. Quickly trying to recover lost ground, he added,

"But now that she's mated to me, they'll have to leave her alone. …if they know what's good for them…" he continued under his breath. Higurashi-san was silent for a moment, and she looked him up and down, as if sizing him up and considering his words. When she finally spoke, however, she asked,

"Are you really that insecure?" Inuyasha blinked at her. Her accusation had hit a little closer to home than he liked to admit, even to himself. Higurashi-san sighed regretfully and continued. "She loves you, anyone can see that. She never would have run off and left you, not for that boy Houjo, and certainly not for any youkai. Why do you have so little faith? Why couldn't you have waited? She's still such a child. And what about you? Despite what you say about your age, you hardly seem mature enough for the responsibilities of being a husband."

"That's not true at all!" he said angrily, his hackles raising up. "I can feed her, I can protect her, and I can make her happy! What more to it is there?"

"Inuyasha, you can only do those things in your time. What about here?" As she asked the question out loud, a tiny spark of realization went off in her mind like a firecracker. "Wait, that's it… you don't plan on letting her stay here, do you?" she asked softly, searching his face. When he ignored the question, she yelled at him, her voice now harsh and edged with fear, "Do you? Tell me!"

"We'll come back to visit…" he said lamely. 

"What about Kagome's education?!" she demanded hotly, rising to her feet.

"Does she really need it?" he asked. "She won't living with me." Higurashi-san listened to his words, without really hearing, for at that moment, another realization flared in the back of her mind.

"You haven't even discussed this with Kagome yet, have you?!" she asked in disbelief.

"Well, not exactly…" he admitted, frowning at her stubbornly. 

"I don't know what you've been lead to believe, but you can't just plan the rest of her life without giving her a say in the matter! I know my own daughter, and she's going to want to continue her education, no matter how useless you may consider it to be! And furthermore, how do you even know that she wants to live in your time? What if she prefers to stay here?"

"She can't stay here! We have to find the rest of the Shikon no tama!" Inuyasha sputtered, losing all semblance of composure.

"But do you see now why this isn't so simple?" Higurashi-san insisted. "Kagome is not ready for this sort of thing!"

"Maybe it's you who isn't ready for this sort of thing." Inuyasha said in a low voice. "But it's not for you to decide. Sesshoumaru and I are leaving first thing in the morning, and as she is my mate, Kagome will be coming with me."

"No, Inuyasha." Higurashi-san warned, her voice firm. "I am still her mother, and she will listen to me, you know that as well as I do. And I say that you will not leave this house with my daughter until we have discussed this further! If I have to, so help me, I'll have Souta write 'demon begone' in permanent marker on her forehead!! Now please return to your room. I need some time alone to think."

"Hai." he said curtly, opening the door. "Goodnight, Higurashi-san." Closing the door behind him, he returned to Kagome's bedroom to find that Sesshoumaru was now lying on the bed, facing the wall. He had stripped the bed of all it's blankets, which he had then rolled into a large ball and shoved into the far corner of the room; as far from the youkai's sensitive nose as possible, without being in the hallway. Inuyasha entered the room as silently as he could, but Sesshoumaru had lain awake, anticipating his return. 

"That Higurashi woman is fascinating, ne?" he whispered bemusedly. "She never ceases to amaze me. I wouldn't be surprised if I actually missed her after tomorrow morning." he sighed softly to himself. 

"About that…" Inuyasha said as he sat down on the floor beside the bed. "We may not be able to leave tomorrow morning as planned." 

Sesshoumaru gradually rolled over to face the hanyou, his eyes glowing red in the darkness. 

"Say that again?" 


	29. Reflections of a Sleepless Night

Chapter 29: Reflections of a Sleepless night

"I said I don't think we're going home tomorrow… I need to sort a few things out here first…."

"Nani?! What can be so important that you need more time?" Sesshomaru said quietly before sighing in exacerbation as he realized what his brother was talking about. Sitting up he tried to calm his anger so that he wouldn't wind up shouting at him in frustration. "Did I not tell you that bedding the Wegome under her ofukuro's roof would not be a good idea? Well…?" He watched as his brother started pacing and he found it oddly amusing that Inuyasha looked very much like a caged animal that was struggling to get free. "And you wonder why I call you an idiot! Stand still for Kami's sake while I speak to you! Anyway I have to get home Inuyasha….like I told you before I have things there that concern me that I need to take care of. I cannot wait here indefinitely while you sort things out with Higarashi-sama…. Thanks to your disgusting childish selfish behavior I can't leave when I want to …." He sighed again. "Damn it! I knew you'd screw this up! Look as much as you hate it or refuse to believe it, I do know what I am talking about when I tell you things! I told you not to take her and you went ahead and did it anyway! Do you know that if we were at home and you did this, I'd be hard pressed to get her to spare your life if Higarashi-sama was so inclined to take it? No matter what you may think in the matter, the only way you should have taken the girl is if she were truly and formally bonded to you! With approval given and accepted by both families! You are not some low-life vassal that you can mate in the middle of a field like an animal with the stable hand's daughter! You are the son of the Lord of the Western Lands and it's about time you start acting like it! Not only have you brought shame upon yourself, but you have shamed Wegome and her family as well as myself! And don't think I flatter myself that you give two shits about me or what I think, but I would have hoped you would have cared more about this family that you wanted so badly to be a part of! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it all to hell Inuyasha!!!" Sesshomaru swore as he brought his fist crashing down upon the bed next to his thigh. He then sat there pinching the top of his nose as if it would somehow make this whole mess go away. 

"I'm…I'm … sorry Maru-chan…." Inuyasha said all traces of his smugness gone. Instead of the man he had just become, he looked more like a little boy as he stood there full of uncertainty and Sesshomaru as he looked up at him, found he full of pity for his little brother. 

__

"Poor Oto-chan! If only things were different for us…I might have been able to comfort you and tell you this will all work just fine in the end. I wish I could tell you that I will do my best to get Higarashi-sama to allow this joining of our houses to take place. You know, remind her of what it was like to be young and foolish and to think you know more than your elders. Unfortunately I can't….yet I want to… but I think it's best if you try and fix this yourself." He thought before saying out loud, "Inuyasha, you created this mess and now that you are a man… you must deal with the consequences of your actions. I am sorry… I don't think I can help you here…."

"Yeah right Sesshomaru! It's more like you don't want to help me and we both know it!" Sesshomaru smiled to himself as he saw the fire return to Inuyasha's eyes and the lost little boy look replaced by an angry one. "You can tell me 'I told you so' all you want Sesshomaru, but that doesn't help me, now does it? You know I've never asked you for anything in my life! Not one thing! And the one time I do, the one time you can really act like you are my brother instead of some stranger who can't stand the site of me, you tell me 'no you can't help me'? I wonder what our Oyajii would say about that!" Inuyasha said sadly a touch of bitterness creeping into his voice. 

"Chichi-ue would probably say much the same things I said, Inuyasha and if you were lucky you'd be around to do something about the mess you got yourself in! And you had better learn to keep your voice down too out what little respect you have left for this family! Higarashi-sama is extremely tired from last night and wishes to catch up on her sleep. No doubt the Wegome is a bit tired as well, for I have the feeling that if she weren't she would have realized that what you two were doing was not appropriate here under her ofukuro's roof. Look Inuyasha… I can see I must be tired as well for I have the feeling we are just arguing in circles here." He paused before going on; swearing softly in the darkness. "Baka! You should have waited until you were home to claim the wench! But noooooo! You thought you were smarter than everyone else here and guess what? You're not!" Exasperated, Sesshomaru sighed again as he suddenly felt very old compared to his brother. "Perhaps, in a way I am partially to blame here…it appears I should have let you play with yourself! I see now that I should have watched you so I could have made sure you did the job properly! Then you wouldn't be in this mess, now would you?" he said sarcastically. "Damn it! You know… I've had enough of you! Just go do something and leave me alone. I personally don't care what you do. You can even go fuck the Wegome again for all I care! Now that you've already damaged her virtue, it really doesn't matter now does it?" He looked away from Inuyasha and stared at the floor. "If you are going to stay here I want you to be sooo quiet I can't tell you're here except by your smell. As far as I'm concerned the matter is done and over with and there's nothing I can do to change that fact. All I can do now is apologize to Higarashi-sama for being unable to control my useless brother, thank her for her hospitality, and promise that neither one of us will show our faces here again. If only I had a proper heir, then I would commit seppuku as I'm not sure how I am going to be able to live with the shame of what you did here. Since I don't and the thought of leaving everything to you is even worse than living in shame…I'll just have to learn to live with it. Fortunately back home, no one will learn of this, so it is a burden I can live with… now leave me be as I am so angry with you as well as exhausted that I am starting to ramble on like an old man. Hopefully in the morning I will awake to find that the gods have been kind to you, Inuyasha, and have allowed you to grow up over night." With that he lay down again and rolled over so that he was facing the wall. He desperately wanted to sleep so he could at least forget about this mess, but sleep was hard to find as all he could see was Inuyasha looking lost and alone. 

Inuyasha sat there feeling at first angry with Sesshomaru for dismissing him that way and refusing to help him. Then he felt very sorry for himself as well as very angry at Higarashi-san for locking his mate away from him. He felt lost and alone for the first time in a long time. "Why is it that all the women I love find a way to leave me?" he thought. "First Ofukuro, then Kikyo left me through death and now Kagome's left me in a way because her ofukuro is angry with me and now I can't see her. Why can't Higarashi-san see that that is the way things are done? That a woman follows her mate to live in his household, not hers…" he thought as a single tear rolled down his cheek. It seemed that if Sesshomaru was feeling way beyond his years, Inuyasha was feeling at that moment very much younger than his. "Kagome…why didn't you stick up for me… I thought you loved me? Why didn't you tell your ofukuro that we belong together in my time? Try as I might and as much as I would love to live here in this time with your family and all…you know I can't do anything about these ears and I just can't see spending my whole life pretending they aren't there. Oh Kagome… Why do I miss you when you are just beyond this wall? Oh hell was Sesshomaru right about this?? Did I really just jump in without thinking or caring about the outcome, or was this something that was meant to happen? Kagome …I miss you sooo much! I wish I could tell you just how precious you are to me at this moment….gods how I need you!" He thought as he slowly inched his way across the floor until he was sitting with his back against the wall that separated them. It was mere inches and made of only wood, but it may as well been miles and made of stone for all he was able to reach her that night. He went on drowning in self pity and self loathing as the night wore on, longing for sleep for at least there he could be with his beloved Kagome. 

Kagome tossed and turned in the bed that was near that same wall. Her mind whirled with conflicting thoughts and emotions about the day's events. She was happy and sad at times; happy that according to the way life was in Inuyasha's time, she was for all intents and purposes his wife. At fifteen almost sixteen years old she couldn't believe that she was now the 'wife' of a 'man' who was in some ways little older than herself. It might work out with no trouble at all in Inuyasha's time, but here in hers, they were, in many ways, far too young to married…to do the all things married people do…like have a family of their own. It was when that thought crossed her mind that she felt an icy dread crawl up her spine and settle around her heart. "Oh crap! What if I got pregnant? Mama may have joked earlier about little puppy-eared grandchildren, but suddenly they're a real possibility! Think Kagome, think! When did you last have your period? Shit! I forgot to write it down this time! BAKA! Of all the times for you to forget something like that…and we all know the reason you forgot was you always thought it was sooo stupid when Mama told you to keep track of it. That was before you met Inuyasha… before needing it would be a big thing….damn it! After you promised you would talk to Mama too, when you felt the need to do something like that… so that you'd be ready to face the consequences of your actions! Oh Mama why didn't I listen to you? Hell why didn't we listen to what Sesshomaru tried to tell us Inuyasha? Granted he didn't come out and say it at the time, but I'm sure he must have said something to you when you two were alone outside." She turned and faced the wall that separated her from Inuyasha; she reached out and touched it as if by doing that she was touching him. "But you know Inuyasha…it was really special being together with you like that. I'm sooo glad you were the one that got there first. Sure it hurt and all but you were sooo sweet about it. I can't believe you would have stopped right then when I said it hurt. But I happy you went on when I told you to…You know if I didn't love you then… Guess what? I think that would have been the moment I fell in love with you! Anyway, I can't believe they locked me in here like that! It's soooo unfair! You'd swear you raped me Inuyasha! We all know I wanted it as much as you did…maybe even a little bit more. Damn it…I wish I could talk to my friends about this. Unfortunately Ayumi would be sooo shocked if I told her and that means I couldn't tell Eri or Yuka cuz they would probably tell her too. Then she'd be mad she had to find out from them and all… Eri I think would be asking me all kinds of personal questions, Inuyasha, like what did feel like and how big was it and did it hurt and all. I'm blushing just thinking about it! Yuka would be disappointed just like Mama was… I'm soooo confused. I wish you were here with me Inuyasha. How can something that should have been the best moment in my life turn out sooo messed up? I hope you don't hate me for this Inuyasha! I hope you don't hate me too Mama! I'm sooo sorry I ruined everything!" Suddenly she felt herself torn between the desire to be held by Inuyasha as he calmed her fears and her mother who spent a lifetime doing that very thing. She started crying as she lay there wishing she could be as carefree and innocent as her little brother who was fast asleep on floor. 

Higarashi-san was also finding sleep elusive that night. Like everyone else involved in the little drama, she found her head full of troubling thoughts. "Oh Kagome…why didn't you think before you acted tonight? I thought after our little 'talk' the other night you would have been more responsible. But I guess hormones got in the way and everything we've talked about concerning boys and what not to do with them….or …why…why Kagome? I don't know why but somehow I feel like I failed you. Like I gave you too much freedom and it was wrong to trust you and treat you like an adult when you are really still a child." She said softly into her pillow. "Oh my Baby, I really hope you aren't too angry with me for keeping you locked away like that…but ...well I've noticed the way you look at Inuyasha, and despite a bit of immaturity he really is a wonderful guy. I do know that despite what you may think to the contrary, he would do anything possible to keep you safe as well as happy…. It's just that I want you to be sure he's the right one for you, because my Kagome-chan, it won't be easy to let him go if he's not….especially if there are any puppy-eared children… I mean if this were Hojo we were talking about and there was a child, it would much easier to make those hard decisions that have to be made. Oh Koishii, I just want you to know that whatever you decide to do, and I want you to decide it by yourself, I will stand by your decision. I want you to know too that I will always love you no matter what you want to do. You are a woman now and I can't as much as I want to turn back the clock to the time when you were a little baby. You know back then Papa and I would talk about your future and what it would be like. Now I can't treat you like a little girl any more... Kagome, you have no idea how much I wish he were here now to talk to you both about this…. He was always so much better at it than I was." She stopped talking to herself and gave into her silent tears, for never had she missed her late husband as much as she missed him that night, for much the same reasons Kagome missed her koibito. 

Sesshomaru laid there quietly thinking about home and the ways to get there. As far as he was concerned there was nothing he could do to fix what had happened here. He felt he could apologize, but then it was really up to Inuyasha to show Higarashi-sama that he was worthy of her daughter. Anyway, he was certain of one thing; no man was getting near his Rin until he decided it was the right man for her. Perhaps this whole mistake could have been avoided if only Higarashi-sama had been more firm about restricting the time alone her daughter spent with his brother. But that only led his thoughts back to Rin, and now he found that worry about her was doing a better job of keeping him awake than thoughts about his brother and the Wegome. "Rin-chan I promise I will come home as soon as I can, with or without my foolish brother." He thought as his mind settled down enough to invite sleep in. 

Kagome lay there crying and she hoped that no one would hear her as she hugged the pillow tight. So far Sota slept on which was good as she really didn't want to be the one to explain why he had to put those sutras on their door. She felt is would be much better for him to think she had a fight with Inuyasha, one that also made Mama mad, than for him loose a piece of his innocence. Still it didn't make it any easier for her to sleep and she knew then that it would be another day of missed school. "Maybe I should just up and quit school, seeing as I rarely attend anyways… I mean if I have to get married at least I won't have anyone making fun of me. I guess I could just go and live with Inuyasha in his time and then no one would know. Then Mama won't have to feel so ashamed and all." She smiled when thought about telling her friends back in Inuyasha's time what happened. That made her think about Miroku and what he'd make of the whole mess. She was surprised that she almost laughed at the thought of all the good natured ribbing he'd be giving Inuyasha about doing something he wanted to do. Then she smiled as she thought about Sango and how she'd spend the rest of her time fighting off Miroku's advances. Feeling a bit better now that she was thinking about something other than what had happened here, Kagome drifted off to sleep. 

Down the hall in her room Higarashi-san tossed and turned before dreams of puppy-eared grandchildren eased her gently into sleep. They were the most beautiful things she had ever seen and it was a comfort to know that they would be there to come and visit her. It somehow made the events of the day seem not so bad at all. Had anyone peeked in her room that night, they would have seen her smiling as she dreamed about showing them off to her friends. It was a pleasant dream and it brought with it some welcome sleep. 

Inuyasha on the other hand remained awake as the night slowly crept by on its silent feet. He was surprised to find on the floor near him Kagome's shirt. Figuring somehow that Sesshomaru missed it when he was kicking around the blankets and other reminders of the night, he picked it up. Holding it close to his face he could still smell her lingering scent. He clung to it as if it were a lifeline to her for it was he had left. So he sat there in the waning darkness, listening to Sesshomaru's soft snore and pretended it was Kagome's soft breathing instead. He knew if he squinted his eyes, he would be able to see the soft glow of the dying campfire, as well as Kagome sleeping just on the other side of it. "It was," he thought, "a bittersweet end to what should have been a wonderful night for the two of them." He cursed himself silently as he realized the wisdom of Sesshomaru's words. "Had I thought to wait long enough to get her back home, we could be sharing this night together instead of being kept apart. You were right all along Sesshomaru. Damn it! Why didn't I listen to you? And why is it I want her more now that I can't have her, than I did before? Shit! I wish there was someone I could talk to about this! Someone who knows what I'm going through here." He sighed and watched as Sesshomaru turned over in his sleep at the sound. "Damn it! I wish I could have at least had the bed to sleep in and then I could pretend she'd be right back, but nooo he had to go and sleep in it! Damn you Sesshomaru! Damn you for being right!" he thought. Then as he leaned his head back against the wall he heard it. The faint sound of Kagome sleeping just on the other side and it was a lullaby that sang him off to sleep.


	30. Separation Anxiety

Chapter 30: Separation Anxiety 

Seven a.m. of another day found Higurashi-san in the kitchen again. She was fortunate enough that this time there was no study group cluttering up her table as she went about the business of preparing enough eggs to feed the small army that had crashed indefinitely in her home. Inuyasha alone would single-handedly empty the larder in a matter of weeks if he remained, never mind the extra addition of Kagome and Sesshoumaru, who despite being a head taller than his brother, ate surprisingly very little. If the boys did not return home soon, she would have to go grocery shopping again. Not that she minded, really. In the simple way of mothers, she derived a certain pleasure from watching that boy eat. It did her heart good at least to know that her cooking was so well appreciated. Only moments after the eggs hit the pan, and the scent of food cooking wafted up the stairs, she heard a shuffling noise behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, and speak of the devil, a topless, bleary eyed Inuyasha had claimed his spot at the breakfast table. 

"Darling, don't you ever sleep?" she asked conversationally as she flipped the enormous quantity of eggs in the pan with some difficulty. 

"Never for very long." he yawned, tapping his claws on the tabletop.

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe that's why you're cranky all the time?" she said as she folded the sheet of egg into the largest omelet she'd ever seen, let alone attempted.

"Keh." he huffed, looking down at the table beneath his fingertips. It was then that he noticed that there were eight long gouges in the tabletop, right where he sat. Vaguely, it occurred to him that he had been responsible for those yesterday, when Sesshoumaru had been taunting him about sleeping with Kagome. Kagome…well, if nothing else, at least he could take comfort in the fact that he now knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that she had been innocent up until the moment he'd taken her last night. But then, if hadn't taken her, and had waited like Sesshoumaru had warned, then Higurashi-san wouldn't be so mad. Speaking of which…his thoughts shifted back to the table before him. Had she noticed the claw marks yet? He hoped not. In fact, he hoped they went unnoticed until he and Kagome were far, far away from there. The last thing he needed was something else for her mother to pin on him, and there was no way he could really blame it on Sesshoumaru; there were two sets of marks. When Higurashi-san turned around to set the eggs on the table, he covered the gouges by resting his arms on the table and trying to look inconspicuous. Higurashi-san smiled to herself, but turned away and said nothing. She'd already seen the table. As she started to prepare the sweet rolls, a very loud growling sound made her turn around to face the boy again.

"What's the matter now?" she asked wearily.

"Nani?" he said, looking up at her innocently as the growl sounded again.

"Is that your stomach again?" Higurashi-san found herself unable to keep from giggling in a very unladylike fashion. Inuyasha blushed, his lips turning up in a tiny, embarrassed grin. 

"Hai."

"Dear Kami…" she laughed. "What did you do, trade your ability to sleep through the night for a bottomless stomach?" An imaged flashed through her head of several puppy-eared children, all running through the house at once, cursing, knocking over furniture, and eating, eating, eating… 'That does it.' she thought to herself. 'Kagome and I will be going to see the doctor today. If he doesn't know enough to wear anything, then it'll have to be the pill.' 

"Alright." she said, nodding her head determinedly at the thought. "I'm going to wake the others. Don't touch that!" she called over her shoulder as she left the room. Inuyasha drew his hand away from the plate, flabbergasted and wondering how she'd known. A few minutes after Higurashi-san left, the kitchen door opened again to reveal Kagome, fresh from the shower and dressed for school.

"Koishii!" he gasped, jumping to his feet. In a split second, his arms were around her waist and his tongue was in her mouth.

"In-umph! Hey!" she said, pushing him away and breaking the kiss, "Hello to you too! What was that all about?"

"What?" he said as if nothing were out of the ordinary. "I missed you!" 

"I missed you, too." she laughed, "But you've never been THAT happy to see me before." 

"You've never let me sleep with you before, either." he said, picking her up and spinning her around. "So I'm happy to see my mate. Is that so terrible?" Before she could answer, he quickly stole another kiss. This time she didn't pull back, but leaned fully into him, blissfully happy that he wasn't acting strangely or avoiding her after what had happened last night. Or wasn't he? This sort of open affection WAS a little strange for Inuyasha… She shrugged the thought away. After chasing him for so long, she wasn't about to complain if he had finally decided to show her some loving in return. She reached up and tweaked his ears, because after some brief experimentation in her bedroom the night before, she now knew that he secretly loved it. In response, his hands began to wandered down her back toward the waistband of her skirt. He had just begun to fumble with the zipper, when the door opened again and they were joined by Sesshoumaru, who was looking well-rested and had changed into his own robes. The eager young couple froze, panting, their faces stunned and slightly pink. Inuyasha's hand inched away from the zipper slowly, so as not to call attention to itself. 

"Oh for the love of…!" Sesshoumaru cursed, pulling his brother off the girl. "We eat in here! And you!" he hissed in a harsh whisper, turning on Kagome, "You insatiable little-" the word 'whore' died on his lips when he heard the warning growl from Inuyasha, so he continued on in a new direction, one he hoped would prove more effective, as all the insults in the world hadn't been able to keep them out of each others pants so far. "Your mother's right behind me! And for the love of the gods, Inuyasha, put some clothing on!" he said, tossing his half-brother the white inner-kimono that he'd brought with him from the bedroom, "You look shameless and indecent running around like that in the home of your intended. Now both of you sit down and try to keep your hands to yourselves, I have a feeling that things here are about to come to a head."

"What do you mean 'things'?" Kagome hissed back, taking her seat beside her lover. "What are you talking about? Inuyasha, what is he talking about?" she said, turning to glare at the hanyou. He smiled at her guiltily, a bead of sweat running down from his forehead to his chin. 

"Your mother's not very happy with me." he finally admitted. "Though we were talking this morning, and she seemed-"

"Nani?" Kagome interrupted. "What do you mean, Inuyasha? Why isn't my mother happy with you? What did you-"

At that moment, Higurashi-san reentered the room, and the conversation stopped abruptly. Kagome and Inuyasha stared down at the table in front of them, and Sesshoumaru took his place down at the other end, pleasantly wishing Higurashi-san a good morning. Higurashi-san smiled back at the youkai, and went about the task of finishing breakfast as the others sat in silence. By the time Souta and Jii-chan entered the kitchen a few minutes later, Higurashi-san had just finished tying up a little square box in a large white napkin.

"Here Souta." she said, handing the neatly wrapped package to her son. "I want you and Sessho-kun to eat breakfast out at the shrine with Jii-chan today. I need to speak with your sister and Inu-niichan alone." 

"Actually, Higurashi-san," Sesshoumaru spoke up, "I would prefer to remain. I am the head of our family and I feel that this concerns me as well."

"Alright, Sesshoumaru." she said, bowing her head slightly and dropping the 'kun' out of respect for his position in what was about to follow. 

"Sheesh, you guys! So serious! You'd think you were planning a wedding!" Souta laughed as he followed Jii-chan out the door. Inuyasha and Kagome stole uncomfortable glances at one another, and shifted in their seats. Higurashi-san watched Souta and Jii-chan from the window, until she was certain that they would not be returning. Meanwhile, the others sat in uncomfortable silence, listening to the sound of the tea kettle tapping and hissing on the gas range as the water inside heated to boiling. Finally, Higurashi-san joined the others at the table, bringing the kettle with her. She handed it to Kagome, who stared at it uncertainly for a moment, unsure as to whether she should pour for Sesshoumaru first, because he was the older man, or Inuyasha, because he was now, for all intents and purposes, her husband. It didn't help that when she picked up the kettle, both men raised their cups expectantly at the same time. Kagome paused, steam curling up from the spout of the poised kettle, looking from one man's cup to the other. Naturally, neither one would back down and make her life any easier. Finally, shooting an apologetic look at Inuyasha, she poured for Sesshoumaru. It was the safest thing to do, and she hoped upon hope that Inuyasha would realize that. Sesshoumaru was older, after all, and pouring for Inuyasha first would have raised too many eyebrows, not to mention suspicions. Kagome, of course, was still unaware of the fact that everyone who was at the table already knew that she and Inuyasha had made love last night. Inuyasha, however, was very aware of that fact, and when the kettle's spout passed by his cup to pour the honey-colored liquid into Sesshoumaru's, he was both incensed and shamed. When the spout finally came around a second time, he turned his cup upside down and banged it down on the table.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome said quietly, pleading to him with her eyes not to make a scene, and half-realizing that it was already too late. 

"I hate to admit it," he said softly, shielding his eyes behind his bangs, "but your mother and Sesshoumaru were right."

"N-nani?" she asked, looking from her mother's tight-lipped face to Sesshoumaru's customary mask of boredom and disdain. 

"You were not ready to be my mate." he sighed, getting up from the table.

"What are you talking about?" she laughed nervously, turning his cup over and pouring his tea. "Sit down and stop acting weird."

"You won't even admit it, Kagome!" he said, pounding his fist on the table with a resounding *bang* that sent the tea in his and Sesshoumaru's cups sloshing over the sides and onto the table. "I'm not ashamed! Are you?"

"Why are you doing this?" she pleaded, tugging on the sleeve of his kimono and trying to get him to sit back down while she shot her mother nervous glances from across the table.

"Kagome, they already know!" he hollered, tugging his arm away. "Sesshoumaru knew the moment he saw you last night, and I told your mother a few minutes later!"

"YOU WHAT?!" she screamed, leaping to her feet. "Why did you do that? She's MY mother, if anyone was going to tell her, it should have been ME! And only when I was ready to!"

"She was asking me to keep my hands off you! What was I supposed to do, lie?"

"No, but you could have included me in the conversation! Or at least warned me when you saw me this morning, instead of cramming you tongue…" Kagome trailed off, the steam running out of her argument as she remembered that she and Inuyasha were not the only ones in the room. "Ah, ha ha…" she laughed, thoroughly embarrassed as she dropped back to her seat on the floor. 

"Kagome," her mother said softly, reaching across the table to pat the girl's hand reassuringly, "That's why we're all here now, to talk about it together."

"Mama…" Kagome whined miserably, "I don't think I want to discuss this in front of…everybody." she muttered the last word under her breath, jerking her head pointedly in the direction of Sesshoumaru.

"Trust, wegome, that I have no real interest in this, other than to see that the arrangements go smoothly and to my liking, and to make sure that the whelp doesn't make an ass out of himself and shame both families any further than he already has." Inuyasha bristled at this, but Kagome was merely confused. 

"Arrangements?" she said, looking from Sesshoumaru to her mother, like a lost little girl. "What arrangements?" Sesshoumaru raised one mildly surprised eyebrow at her questioning.

"You went willingly to my brother's bed, did you not?" Kagome looked down at her hands. 

"Well, actually, it was more like he came to mine…"

"Have it your way." Sesshoumaru sighed. "The point is, you have mated to a youkai, and by our tradition, that makes you his wife." 

"I know that!" she exclaimed impatiently. 

"Do you?" he said, raising the other eyebrow. "Then why did you fill my cup first?"

"I…"

"Why did you mate with my brother if you have no intention of honoring him as your husband? Are you so easily taken? Have you no maidenly virtue?"

"Sesshoumaru…" Higurashi-san said, her voice hinting at a mild warning.

"Forgive me." Sesshoumaru said, bowing slightly to Kagome's mother. "I only mean to prove a point." 

"My daughter is young, and if there's any fault to be placed, it's with me, for perhaps I have been too permissive with her. But what's done is done, and now we must see to the present. Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, I know that in your world, Kagome is now considered to be a married woman, but in ours…in our world, children often… make mistakes."

"Oi! What do you mean a mistake?!" Inuyasha demanded hotly, before Sesshoumaru cuffed him upside the head with his fist.

"Quiet, whelp, the adults are negotiating."

"I thought you didn't want to help?" Inuyasha grumbled, rubbing his head. 

"I have to maintain what little honor there is left to our family name. If I left it up to you…" Sesshoumaru shuddered involuntarily, unable to finish the thought. When he was able to regain his composure, he addressed the woman again. "Higurashi-san, I believe what you are saying is that the wegome is far too young for the responsibilities of a wife, and from what I've seen, I couldn't agree more."

"Why you-!" Kagome began before Higurashi-san silenced her with a look.

"Yes, Sesshoumaru, that's exactly what I'm saying. Kagome needs to finish her schooling, and she still has responsibilities to this family and this…village. I cannot allow her to run off with your brother at this point in time, although I would not be adverse to it in the future. He's a lovely boy." Sesshoumaru chuckled at her words.

"No he isn't, I fear, he's a little shit. I may be arguing on his behalf, but rest assured that you don't have to defend him in order to appease me, for I know exactly what he is." Higurashi-san smiled at the youkai sadly.

"You don't, Sessho-kun, not really or you wouldn't say that. I would be happy to have Inuyasha as a son-in-law…someday. But as you said, I don't think that either one of them is ready for the responsibility of marriage."

"Then we're in agreement." Sesshoumaru said, nodding approvingly. "Only one problem remains. As far as my people are concerned, it's too late." He fell silent for a moment, considering. "That is, unless…"

"Unless?" Higurashi-san said, hopefully.

"Unless we agree to look upon their mating as a commitment to a long term engagement, during which time, things will continue on as they always have. The wegome will continue to live under your roof, only going off with the hanyou when you have given permission for her to do so. In return, the wegome will be forbidden from consorting with other men, as she will be my useless brother's intended." Higurashi-san nodded, listening and considering carefully. When she finally spoke, she said,

"What about their physical relationship?" If Kagome and Inuyasha's heads could have dropped any lower, they would have been resting their chins in their laps. 

"I don't see that I have any control over that, Higurashi-san." Sesshoumaru said flatly. "No more than you will, I imagine. If I were you, and I found myself in this no win situation, I would content myself with the fact that if my daughter did come to bear pups prematurely, she would already have a man who is sworn to take responsibility for her and for them, regardless of the fact that he's a complete idiot." When Inuyasha lifted his head up to protest, Sesshoumaru cuffed him soundly again. "Besides that," he added, cracking this knuckles, "I'm sure that there are some…precautions? that you could teach the wegome. Even in our world, there are such things. In yours, I would imagine that there are much more effective ones, ne?"

"Hai, that is correct Sesshoumaru." Higurashi-san nodded, before falling silent for a few more minutes. When she finally spoke again, she seemed almost relieved. 

"All right, I've decided. Children, you have my consent."

"Hey, isn't anyone going to ask my opinion of this?!" Inuyasha demanded. Both Sesshoumaru and Higurashi-san eyed him levelly.

"No." they chorused.

"Runt, just be happy that you've somehow managed to come out on top in this." Sesshoumaru said, shaking his head. 

"Before you all head back," Higurashi-san interrupted, "Kagome and I have…a little errand that we have to run together." Kagome glanced up at her mother nervously. 

"What about school, Mama?"

"School can wait for today, Kagome. This is more…immediately pressing." Kagome nodded her head solemnly, beginning to understand. 

"Hai, Mama."

"We'll be back in a couple of hours." Higurashi-san said, speaking to Sesshoumaru.

"I want to go, too." Inuyasha said firmly, standing up. 

"No, Inuyasha!" Kagome said, starting to blush. "You stay here. We'll be right back!" If she and Mama were going where she thought they might be going…well, having Inuyasha there would just add to the embarrassment. Inuyasha, on the other hand, seemed adamant about accompanying them.

"I want to go with you. I'll wear the hat!" he protested.

"No, dear." Higurashi-san said, shaking her head as she searched through her pocketbook for her keys. "You'll stay here with Sesshoumaru. We won't be gone too long." Then she looked back at Sesshoumaru. "Promise me that you won't fight." she gave him a deep, piercing look. "Swear it."

"Hai. I promise you that we will not." Sesshoumaru said confidently, matching her gaze.

"I'm counting on you." she said pointedly, through with trying to reason with the hanyou. "No fighting. Understand me?"

"I understand." 

"Alright, Kagome, let's go!" she said as she finally pulled her keys from out her pocketbook. Together, the women headed for the door. 

"Wait! I'm going too!" Inuyasha said, scrambling after them. Sesshoumaru caught him by the wrist and pulled him to a halt.

"Stay, pup." he said coolly, twisting Inuyasha's wrist.

"Let me go, Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha said, struggling against the youkai's iron grip. "I'm going with them." 

"No you're not!" Kagome roared back at him. 

"But-" 

"NO! You stay here! What part of that are you not understanding?"

"Higurashi-san, perhaps it would be wise to allow the whelp to follow." Sesshoumaru called suddenly as he realized what the problem might be. The hanyou was most likely suffering from the instinctual implications of having bedded the wegome. Inuyasha was experiencing anxiety at the thought of being separated from his newly claimed mate. No doubt his previous outbursts were a testament to that. After all, the wegome had left the house several times the day before, and the whelp hadn't uttered so much as a sound of protest. Now he was acting like a desperate fool. 

"I'm sorry, boys, but the answer is no. This is a private matter between my daughter and I. You'll just have to manage for a few hours, Inuyasha." And just like that, the door closed, cutting him off from Kagome. Unable to control himself, Inuyasha ran to the window and gazed out at their retreating forms, looking very much like a puppy who had been left behind at the pound. As the car pulled out of the driveway, Sesshoumaru swore that he could hear a barely audible whimper escape his brother's throat. Once the car was out of sight, Inuyasha began pace around the kitchen in much the same manner that he had the night before, with the same cagey expression on his face. Sesshoumaru watched the entire ritual silently from his corner of the room, while his brother struggled with himself to keep from flying out the door after the women. 

_'What a waste of a morning…'_ Sesshoumaru thought to himself, _'This relationship is doomed to failure. That ningen wench will never be able to understand how a simple separation such as this can so grievously effect the whelp…' _ As he was thinking that, however, it suddenly occurred to Sesshoumaru that maybe the whelp wasn't understanding how he was being effected, either. It was entirely possible…he was a hanyou after all, and compound that with the fact that he hadn't been raised among other youkai…Inuyasha probably had no idea why he was acting as he was. It was almost amusing, in a way… After all, the whelp's body was exacting a far worse punishment on him for going behind his older brother's back and bedding the wegome than Sesshoumaru could ever hope to. Not that the bastard didn't deserve it…If he had listened to Sesshoumaru in the first place, he wouldn't be suffering now. Yet, try as he might, Sesshoumaru could feel neither anger, nor humor as he watched Inuyasha run about the house frantically. Sadly, he almost felt responsible for the brat. This pitiful display was just another painful reminder of how poorly he'd fared as a surrogate parent. This, of course, lead his thoughts back to Rin. He wasn't doing very well by her right now, either. At the rate they were going, she would be of marrying age by the time he returned home, and this entire fiasco would start all over again, only with himself in Higurashi-san's place. He pondered this while he watched Inuyasha start to jump from the kitchen table, to the counter, and back to the floor again where he crouched down and sniffed the ground nervously. 

Perhaps there was a way to solve both of his problems, and Inuyasha's as well…If he helped the runt with his problem, then he would get home faster and maybe also alleviate some of the guilt he was trying not to feel for having abandoned him as a pup. 

Of course, that was all contingent on whether or not he could get the asshole to stay still for a moment.

Inuyasha, meanwhile, had gone into hiding under the kitchen table, feeling helpless to defend himself against the waves of panic and confusion that assaulted his senses for reasons that he couldn't even fathom. 

"What's wrong with me?" he asked himself out loud in a small voice. Sesshoumaru bent down and peeked beneath the table at the feral animal that was his younger brother.

"It's normal to feel this way, oto-chan." he said quietly, keeping his tone steady and reassuring. "It's just your instincts telling you to find your mate."

"I know where she is!" he said angrily, glaring up at Sesshoumaru, "She's with her mother!" Lowering his gaze from the youkai, he began to sniff the floor again. A moment later, his nose caught on to something, and he followed it into the living room on all fours. "Look," he called back to Sesshoumaru as he left the kitchen, nose to the ground as he tracked his quarry. "I know I get a bit edgy whenever Kagome leaves, but this is different! I…I can't breathe right!" Sesshoumaru followed his brother into the living room, where Inuyasha had started searching under the couch cushions.

"You had never mated with the wench before last night." the older youkai said simply. Then he added, a little regretfully, "Maybe I should have explained this to you before…"

"YOU THINK SO?!" Inuyasha snarled, throwing the cushion at Sesshoumaru who neatly sidestepped it. "You could've mentioned it at least! I might have thought twice about going through with it!"

"No you wouldn't have, you're a baka kusotare. But I'll ignore that because you're not really angry at me." he said calmly. "It's your blood boiling."

"Don't tell me!" Inuyasha yelled back. "I know what I'm feeling! What the hell do you know?!" Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to hold his temper and reminding himself that, at least in this instance, Inuyasha couldn't be held accountable for his words or actions. For in truth, he knew all too well what his brother was going through. 

"Try to calm yourself for a moment. I have an idea."

"I'm listening!" Inuyasha growled, back on all fours, now inspecting beneath the sofa. Sesshoumaru had to bite his tongue in order to resist the urge to tell the whelp that the wegome wouldn't fit under there. He had given his word to Higurashi-san that there would be no fighting. Besides that, he knew that Inuyasha really couldn't help himself, and using his actions against him, in this case, would be highly unfair, especially since he had been guilty of doing basically the same thing long ago. 

"Go upstairs to Souta's room." Sesshoumaru instructed. "If I'm not mistaken, the wegome left the shirt that she was wearing last night after you claimed her on Souta's bed."

"Why were you snooping around?" Inuyasha demanded as he began to sniff underneath an end table.

"I was looking for my clothing. You shied them at me while I was trying to nap yesterday, remember? But that's not important, so just listen to me. Go get that shirt and put it on. Her scent, not to mention the scent of your mating, most likely still clings to it. This will calm your blood, and it will reduce your urge to jump out of your skin. It's a trick I learned a long time ago, to help a ease the absence of a mate."

"Really?" Inuyasha said, looking suspicious, but also a little relieved. "Are you sure it'll work? I feel…awful, like my skin is crawling…"

"Yes, I'm sure." Sesshoumaru said unquestionably.

"How do you know?" Inuyasha asked, still not quite used to taking Sesshoumaru's word on things. When Sesshoumaru didn't respond right away, Inuyasha brushed it off, as he was no longer able to contain himself anyway, and tore up the stairs to Souta's room. Sesshoumaru watched him go.

"…I know because I still wear her Obi…" he whispered softly to himself, his eyes going far away. 


	31. Her name was Tsukikage

Chapter 31: Her name was Tsukikage…

Sesshomaru sat down on the sofa while he waited for his brother's return. He laughed to himself when he heard the sounds of Inuyasha rifling through the things in Sota's room as he searched for the shirt Kagome had slept in. Sighing, he realized he would be away from his little Rin-chan yet another day as things sorted themselves out here. He looked down as he fingered the obi that he wore draped around his waist. It was old and it no longer carried her scent as well as it once did since Higarashi-sama washed it. It did however carry just a trace of it and besides the faint floral scent that it now carried reminded him even more of its former owner. He was so wrapped up in his memories of her that he never heard his brother return. 

"Maru-chan? Onii-chan? Hello?" Inuyasha was feeling much calmer now that he had Kagome's shirt on, but he was puzzled by his brother's behavior. He had never seen him so unaware of his surroundings before and that worried him. "Sesshomaru…are you alright?" 

"Hunh? Oh you're back." Sesshomaru said stating the obvious and Inuyasha couldn't help but think, _"And he calls me an idiot!"_

"Sit and I will tell you a story about a woman…" he gestured for his brother to sit down so Inuyasha sat obediently at his feet. Waiting until he was sure he had Inuyasha's attention, he took a deep breath and started his story. 

"The reason I know wearing the Wegome's shirt will help you is…I know from experience. I lost my mate through death…and I can only hope that she didn't suffer too much when she died. If only Haha-ue hadn't picked that moment to announce it was time for me to find a suitable mate, she might still be alive…." He looked so sad at that moment that Inuyasha had a moment of fear for this person sitting here before him was so different from the brother he knew. Then it hit him.

"Wait a minute….didn't you tell me your mate made you choose between me and her??" 

"Shut up Inuyasha while I tell you this story. Besides that was just something I made up just to shut you up. You know… so I could impart some of my wisdom to you concerning your behavior towards the Wegome. But I swear on her memory this is true." 

Closing his eyes Sesshomaru went on. "I was little older than the Wegome when I met her. Chichi-ue had gone on a raid and had added to our lands. Just as he did many times before as well as after, he took some of the women back with him. She was….she was about a year younger than myself and Chichi-ue took a liking to her and had her educated for some reason. I suppose he had hopes of making her a courtesan, for as it turned out she had brains as well as beauty." He paused and fidgeted with the obi again, before continuing. "Anyway, I met her when Chichi-ue brought her to my tutor and told him she was to learn everything I was. I was not the best student and no it wasn't because I was stupid." He shot Inuyasha a pointed look and got a smirk back for his troubles. "I just wasn't motivated to learn much. That changed when she came…."

"What was her name Onii-chan?"

"Her name was Tsukikage….Moonlight. We forged a friendship of sorts as we came to know each other better. Go make me some more tea and I will go on…."

"NANI??? You can't stop there! Hey make your own tea! What do I look like? Your slave?" Inuyasha cried before he realized his brother was only teasing him. "So what was she like?" He asked as he calmed down.

"She had fire in her just like you do. You know I think you learned that from her….She looked after you when you were a child."

"I thought Ofukuro looked after me??" Inuyasha interrupted. "I remember Ofukuro playing with me…."

"Your Ofukuro did play with you at times Inuyasha, but as it is in all families such as ours…your daily looking after was performed by someone else. It was no big deal as I too was looked after by another woman besides my Haha-ue. Anyway I thought I was telling you a story and just as usual you have to interrupt me a thousand times with your stupid outbursts! Now shut up and listen!" he glared at his younger as he remembered they way it was when they both were young whelps. 

Sighing he went on, "Ok…we fell in love." A snort of amusement from Inuyasha earned him a cuff to the head before Sesshomaru continued. "We didn't realize at the time that that was what it was until that afternoon in the tea house. I found her painting in the orchard near the back gardens where it was. It was an old tea house that was never used in Chichi-ue's time, for when we entered it, it was covered in dust and there wasn't much of anything left inside. But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself here. Anyway, I forget why I was looking for her, but I found her there and suddenly there was a burst of summer rain. You know those heavy storms that come up from nowhere and rain down for hours. We were soaked by the time we had made it to the shelter of the tea house. So we took off our wet things and…"

"You were sitting there naked with a girl?? And you didn't do anything??" Inuyasha laughed.

"Look who's telling this story, me or you? Now stop interrupting me! Where was I?" he thought for a minute and Inuyasha remained quiet this time while he did. "We took off our wet things and we sat there trying not to look at each other and all… That's when she saw the spider." He frowned at his brother as he knew another outburst was coming. This time Inuyasha fooled him and remained silent.

"Tsuki-chan was the bravest woman I know except when it came to spiders….so as the stupid thing crawled closer to her, she panicked and next thing I knew she was sitting in my lap." He smiled at the memory until he heard his brother snickering at his feet. "What's so funny? This is a true story you know!"

"A spider? You mean to tell me that all it took for you to get a naked girl in your lap was a spider? That's soooo fake! You're bullshitting me again, right?" he sat there laughing.

"Are you through interrupting me now? And no I'm not bullshitting you. I swear by her memory that it's true! Anyway, we sat there talking for a while and then I took her, right there on the cold hard floor of that tea house. That was the first time I had ever been with a woman and it was her first time too with a man. So we continued our relationship and I thought I was a big man…bedding one of my oyajii's women right under his nose. So you see I also know from experience that isn't exactly a smart thing to do."

"Oh really?? Then why does it sound like you're so full of shit your eyes are brown?" Inuyasha smirked. 

"Asshole, my eyes are the small color as yours last time I looked! Now can I finish this story before Higarashi-sama and the Wegome come home or must I wait and let them hear it too?"

"Ok, ok I'll be good this time. I promise Onii-chan!"

Sesshomaru shook his head as he looked at his little brother. This was so much like the way things were when he was little and his Tsuki-chan was alive. So taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly he continued. "Anyway, I spent a most enjoyable time bedding my Tsuki-chan every chance we got. It was around the same time as your Ofukuro conceived you that I found out Tsuki-chan was also with child. I remember she came to me frightened because your Ofukuro was very ill at first." Sesshomaru raised is hand and made as if he were going to backhand his brother again for interrupting. Inuyasha saw it and quickly closed his mouth. 

"So I found myself in the position of being the father of a child everyone thought was Chichi-ue's. Not only that both Chichi-ue and Haha-ue refused to give her to me as my wife. No mater how much I begged or pleaded I was told 'no I couldn't have her'. I was also told that if I wanted a wife that badly they would find a more suitable one for me. So Oto-chan I learned to keep my mouth shut and I saw her as much as I could. For no matter what anyone said she was my mate, and anyone else would be less than second best."

"Hey! What happened to the child? I mean thanks for making me an Uncle and all, but it would have been nice to now this child!"

Sesshomaru looked at his brother with such naked pain on his face that Inuyasha wished he kept his mouth shut for once. "I'm…uh... I'm sorry Onii-chan. It's just that it's another family member that's all….." he trailed off. "I'm really sorry…."

Sesshomaru swallowed and nodded at him. "It's ok. You asked and I will tell you. It seems that as time went on someone became unhappy at the thought of two new whelps in the household. I really don't even know if my own Haha-ue had her hand in it or not. All I know is one day when their time of whelping drew near, someone sent both women a plate of dried fruit. They had a weakness for it and someone exploited that weakness. I suppose it could have been worse and both women could have died… However they both became ill possibly because they both ate very little of it. Anyway, your ofukuro whelped you first. She was a bit frightened of you as you were such a hideous whelp…. OI! What did you do that for?"

"I was not a hideous whelp and you know it Sesshomaru! My Ofukuro was not frightened of me! Bastard! How could you say such shit like that to me??!!!" Inuyasha glared at his older brother and punched him again in the thigh, this time a bit too close to Sesshomaru's lap and he nearly lost his arm as he raised it again to strike him. 

"That's enough! I'm sorry if you don't like it but it's true! You're a hanyou! Not only that, you are lucky to be so pretty! There are plenty out there that that make you look…good. Your Ofukuro must have seen one of those…. Anyway, my Tsuki-chan fell gravely ill from the poison and she nearly died. However she didn't but she suffered a great fever like the one you had the other night. It was too much for the whelp she carried and it died. Then she had to endure the pain of whelping a shizanji. Do you have any idea how sad that was, how awful it was to see her crying over the poor thing as it lay lifeless in her arms? That's when Chichi-ue along with Babaa-chan came up with the idea of Tsuki becoming your wet nurse. So now I was not only left without a son, my mate was effectively taken away from me as she had a duty to stay whelp-less as she nursed you. Let me tell you that really endeared you to me, Oto-chan." 

"That's so… sad…Onii-chan. So you mean I could have grown up with my nephew as if we were brothers? That would have been something, hunh?" He gave his older brother a half smile. That's when he noticed it. 

"You asshole! You're crying! Stupid Baka Sesshomaru bawling like a baby!!! Oh that's too funny!!!!" he laughed himself silly while Sesshomaru stared at him.

"I am not! I most certainly would not sit here crying in front of you Shit-head! You're an idiot!" He looked at the laughing figure on the floor as if it were crazy, while trying to wipe the tears off his face without said figure noticing.

"You are! I never thought I'd see the day!!! That was the best present you ever gave me!!! But ok; truce." He sat up and wiped the tears of laughter off his own face. "But you never told me how she died."

"Well now that you're through carrying on like a drunken monk, I'll go on with my story. You know I had to endure five years of you getting in my way whenever I wanted to be with my Tsuki-chan. I couldn't even share her bed without you pushing your way in. And I don't think I would have minded so much if you didn't wet the bed all the time! I believe I could have drowned in your pee! I mean no matter how many times I took you out back to that tree and made you go, you still managed to pee all over me as I lay there sleeping!"

'Keh! That's such a lie and you know it!!! I knew better than to soil my bed! You're just saying that cause you're mad I wouldn't let you fuck Tsukikage……"

Sesshomaru gave his brother a pointed look. "Anyway, for five years you were there pushing you way in when you weren't welcome and making it most difficult for me to satisfy my needs as well as my mate's. By the way not only have you peed on me, but you have wiped your filthy shit filled hands all over my pants as well as my hair, split food and drink all over me, thrown up on me, kicked me in places I never want to be kicked in again while you were sleeping with us….which is probably why I never managed to father another whelp! Let's just say this, Inuyasha, when you were a young whelp, you were one the biggest pains in my ass I ever had to deal with! All I can say is you should be glad Tsuki-chan loved you or else I would have killed you off years ago!" His eyes flashed an eerie red before Sesshomaru calmed down enough to go on with his story. 

Inuyasha sat there fuming while he took that all in. "I was not a pain in the ass, Sesshomaru! If you weren't such a selfish shit-head you'd have known that! I was a little whelp, for Kami's sake! Now look who's the one who couldn't stay out of bed! Geeze at least I had an excuse for keeping you apart; I needed your mate to look after me! You're far too old to want Kagome to do that for you! You're just jealous I have a mate and you don't! That's why you're acting like such prick…."

"Shut up!" Sesshomaru yelled as he backhanded Inuyasha. "I don't need to hear that crap from you! It's not true at all! I fail to see one reason why I should be jealous of a useless piece of shit like you! I treat the way you want to be treated, I help you get over your anxiety of being separated from your mate, and this is how you repay me?! Now you will sit there quietly while I finish telling what happened to my mate or I swear you will know what I have gone through when we get back! And I promise you I will not lift a finger to help then! 

"Now you wanted to know what happened to Tsukikage, well I will tell you. She died shortly after Chi-chi-ue did. It was also if I remember correctly a few days after your Ofukuro died. What I never told you then, because I chose to spare your feelings at the time was this: your Ofukuro did a very brave thing, something I never would have believed she had it in her to do. She chose to commit seppuku so that she could follow Chichi-ue in death. Not only that, she did it by herself without a second to speed her on her way. It was a few days after that Tsuki-chan decided that you needed something to cheer you up. It was hard on you to be so young and orphaned. I really didn't have the time to be with you either as I now had to run Chichi-ue's empire without the proper training for it. So Tsuki-chan decided that a picnic was in order. Since I was now in control I figured I could now openly claim Tsukikage as my mate. In fact I had stopped to discuss this with Haha-ue. So I was delayed by her insistence that I choose another more suitable mate than a concubine. I finally gave up and left, only to come upon the remains of a picnic. It was then I heard you crying or maybe I spotted her obi first, or was it her broken sandal….? Anyway, all I remember now was finding you alone, thankfully hidden and unhurt. You are very lucky she hid you Inuyasha, as your life might have been much harder than it was in many ways, had they known who you were. Anyway, that was when I knew she was carried off…I also found out they raped her as I found bits of her kimono later on in the area. But I never found her body….and that was the worst part of it. Anyway, they came and took back what was once theirs and it took me years to wrench it back from those filthy Wolves! That is also why I abandoned you in the forest as I had to find the Tetsusaiga on my own so I could get revenge on them! It was and still is a never ending drive to get back at them for what they did to me. Time however did beat me to it as they only had brief reign before their empire collapsed and I was able to regain the lost lands. But I still feel the need to go looking for her….I know she's been dead these many years and still I wander… But I have no more desire for your sword Inuyasha now that I possess one that surpasses it…"

"You son of a bitch! You swore up and down you hate Ningen with a passion and yet here you tell me a lovely story all about how you fell in love with one and took her as your mate! What a lying shit you are!"

"Nani? I never said any such thing! Tsukikage was as Youkai as I am! You idiot!!! So her hair was as black as night the same as your ofukuro's! That doesn't mean she was ningen! Asshole!!! You've mixed her up with your stupid ofukuro! That's who you remember playing with! BAKA KUSOTARE!!!"

They argued like that back and forth for a few minutes before Inuyasha froze. Sesshomaru did too and they managed to avoid a great deal of trouble by doing so. The strange sound they heard stopped and it was followed buy an even stranger clicking noise and two quick bangs. Then they heard the sounds of two people walking up to the front door of the house


	32. Where does the time go?

Chapter 32: Where does the time go? 

"Kagome!" Inuyasha exclaimed, spinning around on the carpet and racing toward the front door as the sound of the girl's voice reached their ears. Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes up to the ceiling and tried to sink deeper into the sofa cushions.

"Speaking of ningen women…" he sighed. "I know you're sick in the head, but what ever possessed you to let that human bitch start following you around in the first place? You're only making a bigger fool of yourself, if that's possible."

"Pah!" Inuyasha spat as he stood up on tip-toe to peek out the little window at the top of the front door. "Female youkai scare me. You can never be sure they're not going to hand you your balls when you're through with them, not that I've ever tried…" he muttered in mild annoyance at the fact that Kagome and her mother where taking a ridiculously long time standing on the front step, talking to each other.

"Hmph…" Sesshoumaru chuckled disdainfully, "Only if you're weak, oto-chan. I, personally, have never found them to be-"

"Yeah yeah yeah, you're great…shut up, I'm trying to listen…" Inuyasha interrupted, frowning as he put his ear to the door.

"Cut that out!" Sesshoumaru warned. "In another second, they're going to catch you eavesdropping, and then the whole drama will start all over again, and I don't think I can take it anymore!"

"They're talking about me…" Inuyasha whispered, waving his hand angrily at his older brother in an attempt to silence him. 

"I know." Sesshoumaru whispered smugly. "I can hear every word from over here, clear as the sky on a cold winter's night…"

"Shh!" Inuyasha flashed the youkai his serious face as he strained to hear what was being said on the other side of the door. "Something about…cycles…and 'don't forget… one every morning…' Sesshoumaru smiled indulgently at the hanyou, and began to rapidly recite the conversation in its entirety. 

"…'Don't forget, take one every morning at the same time, you can't miss a single day, Kagome, or they won't work. This is very important dear, especially if Inuyasha can't be persuaded to wear any other means of protection. Now I'd like you two to try to behave yourselves, but I'm not naïve and I realize that things happen, that's why we made this little trip together…' Shall I continue, oto-chan, or have you heard enough?" 

Inuyasha stepped back from the door to lean his body against the wall in the hallway. "There she goes about protection again…" he whispered to himself. "I've got Tetsusaiga, what more does she want?"

"Baka…" Sesshoumaru laughed quietly, shaking his head. "Use your brain for once instead of just your ears. Even you should be able to tell that they're not talking about THAT kind of protection, you imbecile." 

"Yes, ok, we all know what you think about my intelligence, Sesshoumaru. You're so much more clever blah blah blah…" Inuyasha sighed dispassionately, "Look, either explain what's going on or please stop talking. Your voice is starting to piss me off."

Thinking that he probably should have chosen the latter, (for wouldn't that have irritated the runt?), Sesshoumaru launched into a rather brief explanation, and mainly because Inuyasha was right; he wouldn't pass up an opportunity to show his superiority.

"She isn't worried about attackers, fool. The woman is protecting her daughter from you." Inuyasha considered this for a moment, looking troubled. 

"She doesn't think that I would hurt Kagome, does she?"

"Oh gods, you're so stupid…" Sesshoumaru cursed under his breath. "How do you keep from falling out of those trees?" Inuyasha stared at his brother, his face becoming a blank slate.

"I see your mouth moving again, but all I'm hearing is shit…" 

"Don't you remember anything from this morning's conversation?"

"Of course, I heard everything I needed to. Kagome's mine, I get to mate with her whenever I want. Was there something else?" 

"I should have known…" Sesshoumaru sighed, shaking his head in disgust. "How can you be expected to retain anything new when you're already so obviously preoccupied with 'yukata goes on the top, hakama goes on the bottom'…I'm talking about herbs, you idiot! Higurashi-san mentioned this morning that there are medicines in this world that can prevent the wegome from conceiving more imbecilic, cross-blood whelps like yourself. There is no doubt in my mind that this is why she kept the wegome from her studies today, to procure some of these herbs."

"Wait…" Inuyasha said, his face turning bright red as what his brother was saying finally started to make sense, "She can't do that!"

"Actually, I think she can. Remember, the agreement that Higurashi-san and I made was for the two of you to be betrothed to one another, and not properly mated as of yet."

"FUCK your agreement! Why the hell do you get to decide whether we breed or not? That's sadistic! If it's left up to you, I'll never sire any pups!"

"Pups?" Sesshoumaru actually laughed out loud. "Oto-chan, if your ningen wench bears you a whelp, there won't be enough Inuyoukai left in it's blood to call it a pup!" Without stopping to think, which Sesshoumaru would claim was pretty typical for the hanyou, Inuyasha advanced on his brother, cracking the knuckles on his right hand into the palm of his left. But the fates can be cruel, or kind, depending upon your point of view, for it was at that exact moment, as Inuyasha was crossing the few feet of carpet that lay between him and the youkai who was about to loose the lower portion of his jaw, that the women finally made it into the house. Inuyasha stopped in his tracks at the sound of the front door opening, and he gave Sesshoumaru a sinister grin.

"oh ho ho, nii-chan…" he laughed under his breath, shaking his head almost imperceptibly, "you are one lucky son of a bitch…"

"Go greet your wench, brother." Sesshoumaru whispered back, an equally twisted smile on his lips. As eager as he was to maim his older brother, Inuyasha did not need a second prompting. After all, nothing made him forget his anger as quickly and as effectively as his woman's soft, clean scent, and at that moment, it had just reached his nose. 

"You're back" he said simply and happily, turning around to greet his mate as his brother had cunningly suggested.

"We're back." she agreed, walking up to him and throwing her arms around his neck. He rubbed the palms of his hands up and down those same arms as he kissed her on the nose, welcoming her home.

"Wow." she sighed, smiling up at him. "You are so affectionate lately. What's gotten into you?"

"Don't flatter yourself, girl. He can't help himself." Sesshoumaru said, intruding on their private moment. "The whelp's instincts are making him do it, he really has no choice in the matter. You should have seen what happened when you left earlier, he was literally climbing the walls." Kagome looked over Inuyasha's shoulder at Sesshoumaru and stuck her tongue out at him. 

"Who asked you, sour puss?" Purposely ignoring the hateful look she received for her cheeky remark, Kagome turned her attention away from the scowling youkai, to his absolutely adorable baby brother. "You know what? I've changed my mind. I don't care what the reason is." she whispered, gently biting his chin, which prompted a low growl of approval from the hanyou. She secretly congratulated herself for having paid attention to "The Hidden Language of Wolves", which had been on the television in the waiting room at the doctors office. Pulling away before he took her flirtation as a full-blown invitation to copulate right there on the living room rug in front of Sesshoumaru, she slid her arm down his shoulder and onto the center of his chest, feeling the fast, steady thump of his heartbeat beneath her fingertips. 

"Whatcha got?" Inuyasha said suddenly when he noticed the small, white paper bag in her other hand. "Anything good?"

"Oh, it's nothing interesting, Koishii." she reassured him, shifting her arm so that her body was between him and the bag. "Just some...vitamins. I have to remember to take them everyday, no matter what, so please don't let me forget." Inuyasha eyed the little white bag suspiciously. 

"Vitamins, huh?"

"Yup." she replied, keeping her anxiety hidden just below the surface of her calm exterior, making him even more suspicious. "You want me to stay healthy and strong, don't you, koi?"

"Of course." Inuyasha said, nodding his head in agreement. "You'll have to be strong and healthy to bear my pups." He waited, watching closely for her reaction.

"Oh…I thought you said that you weren't ready for that yet." Kagome said quietly, looking down at her shoes and hiding her hands behind her back, the white bag disappearing from his view. 

"I'm not…yet." he said, tilting her chin upward so that she would have to meet his gaze. "I just want to be sure that it's still an option." Kagome sighed in defeat.

"Did becoming my mate make you more perceptive, too?"

"Only when it comes to you, Kagome. What's really in the bag?"

"It's a kind of medicine." she finally admitted. "As long as I take one everyday at the same time, I shouldn't get pregnant. I hope you don't think I was trying to trick you, Inuyasha…but Mama insisted." He shrugged.

"As long as it's not permanent…and she's not forcing you."

"No, no…when we're… ready…, I'll just stop taking them. But in the meantime, it will be one less thing we have to worry about."

"Really?" he said with a sly grin, "And when do they start working?"

"It may take a few weeks for everything to get moving." she replied, laughing when his wicked grin changed into a disappointed frown.

"Not soon enough for my comfort…" Sesshoumaru grumbled from his spot on the sofa. 

"Hello boys!" Higurashi-san said cheerfully upon entering the living room. "Well, would you look at this, Kagome! We've been gone for nearly two hours, and I don't see so much as a trace of broken furniture or a bloody nose. You two really did behave yourselves this time!"

"Hai, Higurashi-san." the boys chorused, though Sesshoumaru was brooding again while Inuyasha was practically beaming. 

"Well this calls for a celebration." Higurashi-san laughed, a hint of irony in her voice. "I think I'll go make some red rice…" her relieved laughter could be heard resounding throughout the house as she headed for the kitchen to prepare their lunch. Kagome reached up and tugged gently on Inuyasha's left ear, pulling his head lower. Standing up on tip-toe, she whispered into it,

"She'll be busy for awhile…" This started anew the eager thrumming in Inuyasha's chest. Smiling at her with droopy eyes, he followed her out of the room like an obedient spaniel on a leash. 

"Where are you two going?" Sesshoumaru demanded, rising up off the couch. "You said a few weeks, Wegome!"

"We're just going upstairs to talk without anybody listening in our private conversations, Sesshoumaru!" the wegome hissed back at him, and it made him wonder if his oto-chan hadn't been mistaken when he had said that youkai women were the more frightening of the two species. 

"Why are you wearing that shirt again?" Kagome asked as they ascended the stairs together. "After last night, it really needs to be washed." Without a word, Inuyasha pulled it over his head and threw it over his shoulder, dropping it on the stairs behind him. 

"Don't need it anymore, anyway…" he mumbled stupidly, his senses clouded in a dull, pink haze of lust and arousal as she grabbed him by the rosary that would always hang around his neck if she had anything to say about it, and pulled him into the bedroom. 

It was amazing how quickly a few well placed nips and nuzzles drove all semblance of rational thought from his mind as instinct took over. He soon found he no longer cared whether the yukata went on top and the hakama on the bottom, because the floor seemed like a much better place for both of them, and they were soon joined by Kagome's sailor fuku, which he had also decided looked better on the floor. Taking the initiative, Kagome rolled him over onto his back and began to trail tiny kisses down his chest and stomach. As she kissed the spot on his stomach right above his navel, she heard a small noise from the corner of the room.

"What was that?" Kagome whispered, freezing in place. Inuyasha sniffed the air. 

"It's just Buyo…" he whispered back, pulling her up on to his chest and claiming her mouth with his own. As the kiss deepened, he locked his arms around her back and rolled them over, switching their positions so that he was above her.

"I don't think it will hurt this time." he cooed softly into her neck as his hand reached down beneath the covers to position things properly.

"Mmmm…koi…." Kagome moaned softly as she closed her eyes, her lips slightly parted. 

"Oh wait, shit!" he said, stopping abruptly, his eyes widening as he suddenly remembered. "I promised your mother that I wouldn't do this while we were in her house."

"Inuyasha, that's very sweet of you, but she's not up here, is she?" Kagome said quietly, putting a finger to his lips and smiling up at him as seductively as her naivety and inexperience would allow. "There's no one here besides you and me, and I won't tell her if you won't." Inuyasha smiled back at her then, the relief apparent in his face as he lowered himself onto her body once more, and his hand dipped back beneath the covers. They had just found their rhythm together when the small noise was heard again, and this time, it sounded remarkably like a snicker. Inuyasha froze in mid stride, turning his head slowly to the left as tiny icicles of panic ran down his spine. He soon discovered that Buyo had indeed entered the room, but what he hadn't expected to see was the cat napping in the lap of Sesshoumaru, who was sitting at Kagome's desk, watching them both intently. 

"What the hell are you doing in here?!" Inuyasha yelped, pulling the sheets up over Kagome's bare torso. 

"You left this on the stairs…" Sesshoumaru said innocuously, holding up the rugby shirt by it's collar, "…you messy whelp, I didn't think you wanted Higurashi-san to have to scold you about it later, so I thought I'd bring it to you. That, and I wanted to talk to you about something." 

"Get the hell out of here!" Inuyasha cried, half of his mind not believing that this was actually happening. 

"Oh, don't mind me, oto-chan. I'll just sit here quietly until you're done." he said before chuckling to himself in a most self-satisfied way. "Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for this moment?" As furious as Inuyasha was at Sesshoumaru for interrupting, he was even more frustrated with himself. _'Dammit! Why didn't I sense him? Why didn't I smell him when he came in? How did he get so close to the bed without me even noticing?'_

As if reading his thoughts, Sesshoumaru spoke mockingly, "You're becoming dull in your complacency, oto-chan. I think you're being domesticated by these humans. Why, if I had been an enemy-"

"Kuso!" Inuyasha spat at his brother. "You ARE my enemy! Now get lost!" 

"Oh, Koishii, it's just as well…" Kagome sighed as she sat up, sliding out from underneath the hanyou. "I'm really not supposed to be doing this until my cycle adjusts to the pill anyway. I don't know what I was thinking just now… Oh alright!" she amended when Sesshoumaru shot her a look full of irony, "I _wasn't_ thinking just now…" She was still holding the sheet up against her body, covering herself from Sesshoumaru's inquisitive eyes, but in sitting up, she had unintentionally pulled the rest of the sheet off Inuyasha entirely.

"Alright, oto-chan, I think I've seen enough of your naked body to last me the rest of my lifetime." Sesshoumaru said, turning his head from the distasteful tableau laid out before him. "I'll be waiting in the hall, so hurry up and get dressed, Wegome. I was serious when I said that I need to speak with my brother, and I wish to speak with him alone."

"I hate you." Inuyasha whispered venomously as Sesshoumaru stepped out into the hallway. Sesshoumaru just laughed. 

As Kagome went about the business of retrieving her clothing from amongst the random piles that lay strewn about the room, Inuyasha sat on the bed, his chin resting in the palm of his hand, concentrating on a thought. Something that Kagome had said was nagging at the back of his mind, and it was something that her mother had said earlier as well…but what was it? Something about…cycles… _'Cycle…'_ Inuyasha thought to himself… _'Cycle? Cycle, what about cycles…wait…oh no!'_

"What day is it?" he asked out loud. 

"Ummm…Tuesday." she answered uncertainly, pulling her panties out from underneath his hakama. 

"No, no, what day of the lunar cycle!" Inuyasha asked frantically.

"I'm not sure…let me check my desk calendar…" she said, walking over to the desk, still wrapped in the pink sheet in case Sesshoumaru was peeking in through the doorway. "Uhhh…let's see…." she said, scanning the tiny black and white pages of the desk calendar. "Sheesh, it's been awhile since I've been home long enough to remember to pull some of the sheets off this thing, it's a bit behind… Hmmm, Saturday….Monday…Ah! Tuesday! Tuesday night, there is…oh, it's the new moon, koishii." she said simply, a second before it dawned on her. "Oh dear! Inuyasha?"

"No wonder I didn't smell the bastard…" he was grumbling to himself. "How could I let that slip my mind?! Baka! What an idiot!"

"Don't be so hard on yourself…" Kagome said, sitting down on the bed beside him and putting her arm around his waist. "You've been through a lot in the past few days. That fever alone could have easily thrown you off! It's perfectly understandable." 

"Kagome, what am I going to do?" he asked, heaving a sigh. 

"It's no big deal, silly!" she reassured him, tousling his hair playfully. "We'll just go back tomorrow, and in the meantime…"

"In the meantime we're stuck in this house with a psychopath that, once the sun sets, I won't be able to protect you or your family from!" 

"Inuyasha, I know how things usually are between you and Sesshoumaru, but this situation is, well, different. He hasn't attacked any of us, with the possible exception of you, since he's arrived here, and he's been nothing but respectful to my family. I'm sure you have nothing to worry about." Kagome leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, then got up to continue the search for her clothing. After a few more minutes of silent brooding, he got up and joined her. 

When they were both dressed, he kissed her lightly on the mouth and she left him, going downstairs to chat with her mother, leaving the brothers alone to talk. She nodded stiffly to Sesshoumaru as she passed him in the hallway, a little angry but mostly embarrassed. He nodded back, feeling neither, then passed into the bedroom where he found Inuyasha sitting sullenly on the wegome's bed, his hands folded in the sleeves of his yukata, and his feet folded beneath him. For the briefest of instances, with that dour expression on a face that was still years away from developing the strong brow and jaw line of an adult male Inuyoukai, if in fact it ever did so, Sesshoumaru saw his little hanyou half-brother, as he had been more than half a century ago, when he had left the koinu sleeping in the woods and had set out on the long road toward whatever destiny he was to be granted in this life. All these years later…and Inuyasha was still pouting.

"It was for your own good." Sesshoumaru said firmly, though whether he was defending his actions of a few minutes ago, or of sixty-two long years gone by, even he was uncertain.

"Say what you came in here to say, Sesshoumaru." Inuyasha said testily. "I want to go spend time with my mate, and you're keeping me from her."

"How remarkable…that is almost exactly what I wish to speak to you about. As I have mentioned several times before, I have pressing need to return home. I require either yourself or the wegome to bring me there immediately." Inuyasha sighed, shaking his head.

"You wouldn't believe how much I'd like to, Maru-chan, but I'm afraid it's just not possible tonight."

"I see." Sesshoumaru said evenly, trying to maintain the death grip on his waning patience. "And how many more evenings will I be told this same thing? Am I to be held here against my will indefinitely?"

"I don't want you here any more than you want to be here!" Inuyasha snarled. "But I CAN'T tonight, got that? I can't go back tonight, and Kagome sure as hell isn't going back without me, so you're just going to have to wait it out like the rest of us!" 

"WHY NOT?!" Sesshoumaru barked. "You've got Higurashi-san's consent, you've mated the wench, you're not sick anymore…why can't we go back now? I've been more than patient!"

"BECAUSE I CAN'T TONIGHT!" Inuyasha yelled. "I just can't and that's that! Why don't you mind your own business, anyway? Will it kill you to stay one more night? I thought you liked it here, there's plenty of stupid people to kiss your ass, you royal piece of shit! Just stay the hell away from me tonight, I'm in no mood to listen to your complaining or your death threats, you arrogant son of a bitch! Just leave me alone!" Inuyasha leapt from the bed and ran out of the room, leaving a slightly stunned youkai standing in the middle of the bedroom wondering what had just happened. 

Meanwhile, downstairs in the kitchen, Kagome was setting the table for lunch while pretending to listen to her mother tell a story about some American tourists who had visited the shrine the other day. She wasn't trying to be rude, but her mind was preoccupied with what she and Inuyasha had discovered only moments ago. She wasn't worried about Sesshoumaru, as Inuyasha was, but rather was fixated on a comment that Sesshoumaru had made earlier that day about Inuyasha and his instincts toward her. She wondered if what he had said was true, that the only reason Inuyasha was being so affectionate lately was because his instincts were telling him to. If that was so, then what would happen tonight, when his youkai left him? Would he still be so… enamored with her? She knew that he cared for her, regardless of what form he was in, but without the youkai instincts telling him to stay by his mate, would he still love her as single-mindedly as he had claimed to over the last few nights? Or would his feelings wane with the youkai blood in his body once the sun set? It frightened her that despite all they'd been through together, and especially after last night, that she could still feel doubtful about him. Maybe Inuyasha wasn't the only one who needed to learn faith and trust, after all.

Back upstairs, Inuyasha had locked himself in the bathroom and was refusing to come out. Not that Sesshoumaru was about to plead with him any time soon, but he found it rather irritating, to say the least. When the wegome called them down for lunch, the hanyou refused to open the door. Eventually, the wegome herself came upstairs to try reasoning with him. She begged, she pleaded, she shouted and even tried sitting him a few times, but it was no use. The brat was as stubborn as an ox, and twice as stupid. After half an hour, the wegome gave up on him and they had bid farewell to the bathroom door, going downstairs to eat. As the day wore on into the afternoon, Souta came home from school. The boy immediately rushed upstairs to use the bathroom, only to be sent back downstairs and out into the backyard to use the bushes, as Inuyasha still would not budge. As afternoon turned into evening, and the last few faint rays of sunlight dropped below the horizon, the household was faced with a considerable problem. At some point, someone was going to have to use the bathroom, and no one else besides Souta wanted to resort to using the local shrubbery. After a long, intense discussion involving every member of the household, it was finally decided that Sesshoumaru should be given permission to break the door down. 

"Just try not to damage it too much!" Higurashi-san pleaded as the youkai headed upstairs, closely followed by the wegome, who went as moderator to keep the peace, and Souta, who just wanted to see Sesshoumaru break something. When they reached the top of the stairs, Kagome pushed ahead and raced down the hall to get to the bathroom first, trying one last time to coax the hanyou out before the melee ensued. Souta crossed his fingers on both hands, hoping that Inu-niichan would remain as stubborn as ever, so that he could see Sessho-kun in action. He would not be disappointed. Sesshoumaru quickly reached the door in question, and gently pushed the wegome out of his way.

"Inuyasha!" he shouted. "This is you last warning. Will you come out willingly or not?"

"Please, Inuyasha, people really need to use the bathroom!" Kagome pleaded from behind Sesshoumaru. 

"Stay in there, Inu-niichan!" Souta called out happily. "Never surrender without a fight!"

"Souta!" Kagome scolded angrily, "Don't encourage him!"

"Are you kidding, nee-chan? This is going to be awesome!" Souta said, looked at his sister like she couldn't possibly be serious, before shouting "He's not answering, Sessho-kun, do it!"

"Very well." Kagome closed her eyes and covered her ears as Sesshoumaru drew pack his fist and then slammed it into the center of the bathroom door, punching a hole right through it. 

"Awww…" Souta whined. "I was hoping you'd knock it off entirely, like you did to Kagome's door!"

"I didn't touch that one." Sesshoumaru explained. "That was knocked off it's hinges when I threw the whelp into it." 

"Wow, Sessho-kun, you beat up Inu-niichan?" Souta exclaimed, beaming up at his new hero. "You must be really tough! Wow! And you only have one arm, too!" 

"Why does it always have to be about violence with you guys?" Kagome exclaimed, frustrated beyond belief at this ludicrous turn of events. "I, for one, am glad that we still have a bathroom door! Does no one else care about their privacy?! It's bad enough that it now has a gaping hole in the middle of it! Speaking of which, I think that'll do, Sesshoumaru. All you have to do now is reach your arm in and turn the knob on his side." Doing as he was bidden, Sesshoumaru stuck his arm in, and after a moment of blind fumbling, found the knob and turned it. When they opened the door, there was Inuyasha, sitting fully clothed in the empty bathtub, glaring angrily at them all. Souta gasped when he saw him, and even Sesshoumaru's eyes widened slightly. The young man sitting before them had black hair. There were no pointy, white dog ears on top of his head and the smoldering eyes that stared back at them were dark violet.

"What?!" Inuyasha snarled defensively, an instant before he became conscious of the fact that he had no fangs to bear at them. For several seconds, they continued to scrutinize him. Finally, Kagome grabbed Souta by the hand and lead him back downstairs, saying "Show's over, show's over!" and planning to explain things to the boy and her mother once they were all safely back in the kitchen. 

"So." Inuyasha huffed bitterly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Now you know. Isn't this just great? Well? What the hell are you staring at, stupid? You act like you've never seen a ningen man before." The youkai looked down at the human boy sitting in the empty bathtub and heaved a deep sigh.

"It's been a long time since I've seen this part of you, this face…" Sesshoumaru said quietly. "I'd almost forgotten… You really do look exactly like your ofukuro." 


	33. Watercolored Memories and Faded Regrets

Chapter 33: Watercolor memories and faded regrets

"What's your point? Well, speak up! I can't hear you! Or are you going to toy with me first before you kill me?"

"What are you babbling about, asshole? You…you… ummm…" As he looked at his younger brother, Sesshomaru remembered he had something for him. "Reminded me of something I had long forgotten… I have something for you. Tsukikage had instructed me to hold onto it for you until you were older…." He paused trying to remember where he had put it. "It's almost as if she knew she wouldn't be here when you were older…." He said softly to himself. "Now I remember. I had put it with some of the other things she had given me…. Come I will ask Higarashi-sama if she knows where it is." He turned to leave, fully expecting Inuyasha to follow. 

"Now what are you babbling about? Why would Higarashi-san have something of yours that really belongs to me? OI Sesshomaru!!" Inuyasha got out of the tub and left the bathroom. "OI Sesshomaru!?" he called out again and that's when he spotted the white head retreating down the stairs. Curiosity peaked, he took off after his brother. 

"Higarashi-sama… when I arrived, I had a small bundle of things that I kept inside my yukata. It was about this big," he traced a small square on the table top. "and it was wrapped in blue silk with cranes on it. Have you seen it?"

"Hai Sessho-kun. I have it in my room, do you need it now?" She looked at her daughter as he nodded in affirmation and asked. "Kagome Dear will you run up and get it for us? Thank you, sweetie."

"Arigatou Higarashi-sama, Wegome. In it is something for Inuyasha that I should have given to him a long time ago… It's just that time and circumstances prevented me from doing so."

She smiled warmly at him. "You mean you forgot?" She laughed as he shook his head.

Giving her a sheepish grin, he told her, "Hai. You are a most perceptive woman, Higarashi-sama."

"Flattery will get you an extra helping at dinner, Sessho-kun but that's all!" She laughed again as she put the rice, tempura shrimp and vegetables out on the table. He surprised her by laughing back and they waited in silence for the others to come. They didn't have to wait long for Jii-chan came in from the shrine and spotting his favorite dish; he started right in. They were joined in a few minutes by Sota who was full of stories about his day at school. 

"I wonder what's taking Kagome so long. Here why don't you help yourself too, Sessho-kun while I go see what happened to her." Higarashi-san put down her chopsticks and left the table, while Sesshomaru and Kagome's grandfather ate in silence. Sota however chatted on happily about his day, never noticing that he was doing all the talking. 

"Kagome? Dear, have you found it yet?" She called up the stairs. Getting no response she started up the stairs towards her room. 

"Koishii…do you have any idea what's so important with this bundle that your brother had to have it now, instead of waiting until after dinner? Hey stop that!" The last was said playfully as Inuyasha had come up behind her and pulled her close. She thought it was weird that he was sniffing her hair; but was pleased that her fears about his love for her waning were gone.

"Don't know and don't care." He murmured in ear. "You know… you smell different now. I can't explain it…you just smell like that stuff you put on your hair." He shrugged; as she wiggled around to face him, he cupped her chin and pulled her face close enough to kiss her. He had just maneuvered her over to the bed when he was interrupted for the second time that day by a soft 'ahem'. "OI Sesshomaru! Get the fuck away from us already!!! Can't you see I'm busy???"

"Gomen but it's not Sesshomaru…. Kagome did you find it? Good; take it downstairs for me. And you Mister!" She grabbed the retreating boy by the arm as he tried to make his escape. "We don't use that language in this house first of all. Secondly I don't recall giving you permission to use my room, never mind the fact you promised you wouldn't do THAT in my house anymore. Well what do have to say for yourself?"

"Gomen nasi, Higarashi-san….it's just that well…she is my mate…."At her look he changed his mind about what he was going to say. "Gomen… anno…is dinner ready?" he flashed her a smile along with a timely growl from his stomach.

"As a matter of fact it is." Sighing she asked, "You weren't born hungry, were you?" She teased as she ushered him out of the room and down the stairs towards the kitchen. She tried not to laugh when he told her he really didn't know and that she should ask Sesshomaru if really wanted to know. 

They made their way back to the kitchen where everyone was busy eating. Sitting down next to Kagome, Inuyasha heaped his plate full of food and dug in. Finishing quickly, Sota and his grandfather excused themselves and left to go back to the shrine for Sota's lessons concerning an ancient text. Sota toyed with the idea of staying to see what all the fuss was about concerning Inuyasha, but figured he'd find out later anyway when he came back. 

"Where are your manners Whelp? There's no reason to gulp your food down like that! Besides since you've waited this long for me to give it to you, another few minutes won't hurt." Sesshomaru said softly. He figured he'd have a bit of fun with his brother seeing as his hearing wasn't as sharp as before now that he was in human form. So he was careful to pitch his voice at a level that was not quite beyond his brother's hearing but may have well been. 

"Nani?" Inuyasha said between bites. "Now what are you mumbling about? I don't know what's happened to your voice, but maybe Higarashi-san can find you some herbs, you know to get you fixed too like Kagome." He went back to shoveling in his food. 

Kagome nearly choked as she heard that. "Please tell me he didn't say what I thought he just said." She thought as she grabbed her tea and swallowed. She shook her head at Sesshomaru's puzzled frown; laughing to herself that he didn't catch the double meaning in Inuyasha's simple statement. She cast a quick glance at her koibito to see if knew what he had said, but seeing as he didn't she shrugged and went back to eating. 

Soon they finished eating, and they sat there wondering when Sesshomaru would reveal what he had. Sensing that's what everyone was waiting for, he asked Higarashi-san if she needed any help cleaning up. That was how Inuyasha and Kagome found themselves helping her. Sesshomaru enjoyed himself immensely as he sat there watching his brother tidying up and acting way too domesticated for his tastes. 

"Oi Inuyasha! I think you missed a spot." He smirked as he extended his index finger towards some imaginary dirt on the table. He chuckled at the face his little brother made and feeling that everyone had waited enough he pulled the bundle out from where he kept it hidden in his yukata. He placed it on the table and placed his hand over it. 

"Come on Sesshomaru… cut the crap and open it for Kami's sake already!"

"Patience Whelp! This is something I haven't opened in a long time and I want to savor the moment. What's inside is very special to me and I don't feel like rushing…" he reached over and smacked the hand Inuyasha had moved towards it.

"Hey! Just open it already! Besides I thought you said you had something in there that belongs to me! Somehow I can't picture that as being very precious to you." Inuyasha said as he shook his smarting hand. 

Sesshomaru sighed and with a bit of help from Higarashi-san, he untied the silken cord before unwrapping the silk from a small leather box. Pausing just long enough to catch the faint scent of his Tsuki-chan that it still carried, he opened it. Inside on top there was a small book that was thicker than it had first appeared. He carefully removed it and placed it on the table. "You might want to read that later….oh, wait I forgot you can't read. Perhaps if you're lucky the Wegome will read it to you." He chuckled to himself as Inuyasha picked it up and opened it. The chuckle soon deepened in a laugh as he watched his brother push it over to his mate so that she could read it to him. Kagome looked up at him, puzzled as to what was funny about the book, but opened it anyway. She started reading it to her koibito in a soft voice as a slight blush started creeping across her cheeks. 

"It just goes on to say how great your brother is…hehehe…I don't think you're really all that interested in that... ummm…well what do you thi…" she started before Inuyasha interrupted. 

"Does it say anything else in it besides that?" he grabbed the book again and started paging through it. 

"Look closer to the end Oto-chan. Tsuki-chan illustrated it herself." He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. 

"KEH! You're disgusting, you baka hentai!!!" Inuyasha slammed the book closed after looking at the pictures. 

"Sessho-kun, are you corrupting their already limited morals?" Higarashi-san reached over for the offending book. Judging by Inuyasha's and her daughter's reactions she had a fair idea of what it was.

"Higarashi-sama if they were old enough to do….aaaah… what they did before then they are old enough to learn to do it right, ne?"

Higarashi-san shook her head and laughed. "Anyway, I'm sure they can figure that out on their own one day; just hopefully not anytime soon. Now what was it that was so important that you just remembered it now?"

"Can you help me please, Higarashi-sama? I promise you it is nothing bad." She came over to him and helped him lift another small bundle from the box. She carefully untied it and when it was open it revealed a handful of watercolors. The one on top was of a beautiful Youkai woman with jet black hair. "That was my Tsuki-chan, she who was my mate. She made the book and these painting."

Looking at it, Higarashi-san smiled. "Was? What happened to her?"

"She died when she just twenty summers…I wish I could have been there at the time. Then maybe…." He closed his eyes; seeing her as he last saw her before he opened them again. 

"Gomen nasi Sesshomaru. I don't know what to say…"

"Do not trouble yourself. It was a long time ago. Anyway, in that pile is the one I seek." So Higarashi-san carefully shifted through the pile; showing each one to Sesshomaru before showing the next. Finally they found it and Sesshomaru took it from her. He looked at it a final time before pushing it towards his brother. 

"Inuyasha? Do you think you can stop studying the Wegome long enough to take a look at it?"

"Hunh? Speak louder I can't hear you! Why are you whispering at me all of a sudden?" he glanced at the watercolor Sesshomaru held out to him. "What's this? Ofukuro…." He whispered with awe. "Why do you have a picture of her? This where you…." He cut himself off as he remembered how his older brother tricked him to believing he had resurrected his mother. "You son of a bitch! You kept this all that time and used it against me! How could you?!" He took the small piece of paper and crumpled it before throwing it at his brother. 

"Inuyasha! I don't know what happened and right now I really don't care either, but you two are going to have to learn to control yourselves here! I fail to see how this beautiful watercolor that you've all but destroyed has upset you this way. Now when you've calmed your self down I want to know who she is." Higarashi-sama said as she smoothed out the painting, while her daughter smoothed out her koibito's hurt feelings. 

"It's a watercolor of his…"

"Gomen Sesshomaru, but I didn't ask you. Now are you ready to tell me, Inuyasha?" she asked in her most motherly voice.

Swallowing his anger Inuyasha told her. "It's my ofukuro. I have no idea why that bas… I mean why my charming brother would keep it from me for so long. He never really cared for her, so I don't see why he never gave it to me sooner. And don't give me that shi…I mean crap about having forgot about it either! You are just sooo lucky I'm like this now, Sesshomaru, you bastard! How could you use this against me like that…..?"

All eyes turned to Sesshomaru as they waited for his reply. "I did what I did because I couldn't help myself, for much the same reason you were climbing the walls here earlier. You had something I needed and…"

"That doesn't give you the right to rip apart my eyeball! Granted I wouldn't have given the Tetsusaiga to you had I known it was there anyway, but that still doesn't excuse what you did to me!"

"Look Oto-chan I spent half a lifetime running around looking for a dead woman and a sword to avenge her killers! Something I would think you are somewhat familiar with? It was …I don't know…a kind of madness? I do regret it to some extent…and that's all I'll say on the matter. What's done is done and cannot be undone…now if you can behave yourself I want you to look at this." He placed the watercolor of Tsukikage next to the one of Inuyasha's mother. "Look, this is why you were so mixed up before. I never noticed it when they were alive, but they do resemble each other. See, that is why you thought….I… never mind. But I want you to know had she lived things could have different….between us. She loved you as much as your ofukuro loved you if not more so. Look, she took very good care of you… where as I failed miserably in that regard…." He trailed off softly. "You'd swear you were her pup the way she would go on about you…"

"Nani? Why can't up speak up today? You know what I don't care what you say. For all I know you could be lying through your teeth again and I'm tired of it! Keep the damn painting; you've already had it this long, it may as well be yours! Come Kagome! I want to get out of here!" Inuyasha stormed off with Kagome running quickly after him. 


	34. Don't Ask

Chapter 34: Don't Ask…

Inuyasha grabbed Kagome by the arm, between her shoulder and elbow, and pulled her roughly out the front door, slamming it behind them.

"Oh dear." Higurashi-san sighed. "What do you suppose we should do?"

"Let him go." Sesshoumaru said without looking up from the watercolor portraits on the table before him. "If we confront each other now, he'll just do something rash and hurt himself. I don't want to have to break his arm, or worse."

"I hate to say this, but after the way the two of you have been treating each other over the past few days, I'm a little surprised. That's actually very kind of you not to take advantage of him when he's weakened like this."

"No." Sesshoumaru said softly, his face unreadable, "I'm just not interested in anything less than a fair fight. There is nothing to be gained, no honor in killing him when he's as defenseless as a child. There's no sport in that."

"Why don't we talk about something else?" Higurashi-san said, squirming uncomfortably at the dark turn the conversation had taken. Desperately trying to change the subject, she sat down next to the demon and suggested "Here, now, why don't you show me the rest of your Tsukikage's paintings?"

~

"Koi, how many more times are we going to go through this? Tonight?" Kagome pleaded as he dragged her along down the shrine house stairs. 

"Until I don't have to look at his stupid face anymore!" Inuyasha seethed, plowing on ahead, undaunted by the tiny noises of protest his woman was making at being manhandled.

"Well, would you at least tell me where we're going?" she asked when he refused to release her arm from his death grip. 

"No!" he shouted, squeezing harder and picking up his pace. Kagome had to break into a jog just to keep herself from falling. 

"Why not?!" she shouted back.

"Because I don't know!" he cried, lengthening his stride. 

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, "Do you think we could slow down?!"

"No, I don't think I can at this point!" he growled, tugging so insistently at her arm that, had he the use of his full hanyou strength, he'd have ripped it right out of the socket. 

"Alright, that's it! We're stopping!" Kagome said. Not knowing how else to accomplish this, she jumped up onto his back and their combined forward momentum sent them sprawling to the ground, face-first.

"Oooowww…" he moaned after a few seconds when he could draw breath into his lungs again. Rolling her off of his back, he managed to push himself up onto his hands and knees. "Listen, stupid, the next time you're going to pull a stunt like that, warn me first! I'm breakable tonight, you know!"

"Well I'm sorry," she huffed, "but you just weren't listening to reason!" He opened his mouth wide to shout an angry protest, but then let out a heaving breath instead and said sullenly,

"Yeah." 

Kagome reached forward and lovingly brushed some dirt off of his cheek, trying to bridge the gulf that was threatening to come between them. 

"You are so beautiful…" she said softly, moving her hand up from his cheek to his brow to brush aside a few stray hairs that hung in his eyes, only to have them immediately fall back into place once she moved her hand away. "It's too bad that the girls couldn't have met you tonight. You wouldn't have had to wear that stupid hat, either. I know how much you hate to."

"Hmph." he grumbled. "Those harpies are the last thing I need when I'm stuck like this!" Kagome managed to ignore the derogatory remark about her friends, in favor of keeping the peace between them. He was already so very upset. 

"What _do_ you need, koibito?" she asked seriously, taking his face in her hands.

~

"Wait a minute, what was that last one?" Higurashi-san asked as Sesshoumaru tried his best to shuffle the painting in question beneath the small pile of watercolors that they had already looked through. 

"It's nothing," he said, a little too quickly, "I think it's one we've already seen."

"I haven't seen it." Higurashi-san insisted, holding out her hand expectantly. "May I?" 

_'Damn it all…maybe that Higurashi woman is TOO perceptive…' _Reluctantly, Sesshoumaru pulled the watercolor out from under the pile and laid it face down on the table in front of himself. The wegome's mother reached over and slid it across the table to herself, then picked it up carefully by the edges and turned it over.

"Why, this, this is…?" she looked up at him, a soft, emotional glint in her eyes. "When was this?"

"That," he mumbled into his lap, "…obviously, was a very long time ago." 

"Yes…" she said, smiling a little sadly, "It would have to have been, wouldn't it?"

"It's a bit of foolishness." he murmured, feeling somewhat self-conscious.

"It's beautiful…" Higurashi-san whispered, her eyes beginning to sparkle as they moistened with unexpected tears. 

"Then it is yours, Higurashi-sama."

"Oh, I couldn't, Sessho-kun!" she said, trying to hand it back to the youkai. Sesshoumaru lifted his hand to stop her and shook his head.

"Yes, please. Consider it the least I can give after we've caused you so much trouble. That, and I can see you'll appreciate it far more than I do."

"Arigatou, Sesshoumaru…I will treasure this. It's hard to believe you were ever so young… both of you…" she smiled, looking down at the small scrap of paper in her hand. Rendered in a wash of soft pastel colors was a slightly hazy portrait of the two sons of the great Inutaisho. The younger, maybe two years old, sleeping across the breast of his onii-san, who was little more than a boy himself and also fast asleep. They dozed together beneath a cherry tree, laden with white blossoms, forever young, forever frozen in time, a perfect moment captured by the brush of the young woman who had loved them both so desperately. 

"Hai." 

~

Inuyasha looked down at the girl before him, his dark eyes burning like her own as he spoke to her of his need.

"I need…chocolate." he said. Kagome blinked in surprise.

"What?"

"Chocolate. I need chocolate."

"Chocolate?" she said, eyeing him as uncertainly as if he'd just sprouted tentacles. 

"Yes." Inuyasha said certainly, nodding his head.

"This is going to make you feel more emotionally sound? A candy bar?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Inuyasha, you're going to have to deal with your feelings," she said, trying to reason with him, "you can't just choke them back with sweets." The hanyou-turned-ningen considered this for a moment, then shook his head adamantly.

"No, I'm pretty sure that I can." She stared at him for a full minute, incredulous. 

"Are you pregnant?" she asked finally.

"Are you?" he asked back, his voice sounding a little too hopeful for her liking. Ignoring his question, she tried a different approach. 

"How about a reassuring hug, Inuyasha?" she said, wrapping her arms around his middle and leaning into him. "A kiss? Some playful necking to help you forget your shitty childhood?"

"Yeah, that all sounds great." he agreed. "That, and a Hershey bar."

"I never should have introduced you to that stuff." she muttered, pulling herself up and dusting herself off. "How is a little chocolate going to make you feel better, huh?" she said, offering him her hand. What really surprised her, however, was that he accepted it. 

"It tastes good." he said simply as she pulled him to his feet. He had a point there…how could she argue with that?

"Well, I'm afraid I don't have any, Inuyasha."

"Then we'll get some." he said, frowning. "I just don't want to go back in that house right now." 

"Alright," she said, accepting defeat. "if you're sure it'll make you feel better. There's a convenience store not too far from here, if you don't mind the walk."

"I don't mind." He reached out, taking her hand in his own, for once not having to be mindful about where he put his claws. 

"Baka." she laughed softly, leaning into his arm. "Let's go get my hero a Hershey bar."

"A big one." he added. 

"Don't push your luck, buster."

~ 

"Here, you'd better put this away too, before it falls into the wrong hands." Sesshoumaru had been packing the watercolors back into their leather box, when Higurashi-san came up from behind him and handed him Tsukikage's small journal, the one he had handed to his brother and the girl when he had first opened the box. 

"Ah, yes." he said, taking the book from her hand and placing it back in the leather box on top of the watercolors where it had always sat. "It wouldn't do for your son to see such things."

"Actually, I was thinking of your brother. You know, I caught him trying to…" she paused, unable to think of a way to continue that sentence without resorting to vulgarity.

"Re-stake his claim?" Sesshoumaru offered helpfully.

"Hai." she nodded, chuckling. "That's one way of putting it, Sessho-kun. I caught them in my room, earlier, when I sent Kagome upstairs to get your things and they didn't come back down right away…" 

"I caught them in a similar position this morning, when you and your daughter had just returned from your errand."

"I knew it was too quiet." Higurashi-san lamented as she walked over to the stove and put the tea kettle on. "Tell me you stopped them."

"Hai." he answered tersely, thinking that she'd probably be better off not knowing how far her daughter and the runt had actually gotten before noticing his presence. "But I'm afraid it's only going to get worse as time goes on." 

"I realize that, Sessho-kun. Human beings aren't THAT different from youkai, you know." she teased. Sesshoumaru had his own ideas about this statement, as innocent as she had intended it to be, but he kept his mouth shut so as not to offend her. _'Now that is odd…when DID I start caring what a ningen thinks?'_ he thought to himself as he recalled his oto-chan's words from the previous day. He mulled this over for several minutes, during which time he must have had a slightly glazed-over expression on his face, because he soon found Higurashi-san intruding upon his thoughts.

"Sesshoumaru?"

"Oh, gomen. I was just thinking…"

"I can see that." she said, getting up to fetch the kettle, as it had started to whistle it's high pitched song, signifying that the tea was done. "Care to share?"

"I was thinking that it's a good thing you've procured some of that medicine we were speaking of this morning for your daughter." he lied. "I'm not interested in any more relatives at this point in my life."

"Mmm… Especially ones with tainted blood, ne?" she said evenly as she poured his tea. He flinched inwardly at the remark. 

"You don't have to answer that." Higurashi-san said after a moment of uncomfortable silence. 

"Arigatou." he said, keeping his voice smooth and unaffected with an ease that could only come from countless years of practice. Slowly, he lifted the cup to his lips and blew the steam from his tea. 

~

He never saw them coming. 

As he and Kagome passed by a murky alleyway on the not-too-well-lit street, four men, probably not much older than himself, had he been mortal, seemed to appear from out of nowhere, as if having apparated from the foul-smelling smoke that snaked off the ends of their cigarettes.

"Hey, aren't you that little shrine girl?" one of them called after Kagome, but judging by his voice, the question was not meant to be taken kindly.

"Just keep walking." Kagome said in a low voice, gripping Inuyasha's hand more firmly and keeping her head down as she started to walk faster. "The convenience store is only a few more blocks this way."

"Alright." Inuyasha said bemusedly, not in the least bit troubled by the four thugs that now seemed to be pursuing them. Well, maybe a little…

"Hey, little girl!" another, more gravelly voice called from behind them, "My friend here asked you a question! Don't you have any manners, or are you just a stuck-up little bitch?" 

"That's it, isn't it?" another disembodied voice joined the first two, laughing menacingly. "She's too good for us." 

"Hey, that's some get-up your little boyfriend is wearing!" 

"Boyfriend? Shit Yuza, I thought that was a girl! Wow, man, you just saved my life, I was about to start hitting on that thing!"

"Ok." Inuyasha said, stopping dead in his tracks.

"Uh-oh, Chen, she heard you! Look, she's turning around! I think she wants you."

"That's sick, man." the first voice laughed. 

"Inuyasha!" Kagome hissed, tugging on his arm. "Let's just get out of here!"

"Run away from these guys? Are you kidding me?" he snorted derisively.

"Koi," she pleaded, "aren't you forgetting something?" She grabbed one of his black forelocks and held it out in front of his face. 

"Please, Kagome, even in this form I can easily kick the asses of some stupid, pathetic ningen morons like these guys."

"Oi, what did you just call us pal?" the one called Chen asked, stepping forward. Pushing Kagome behind him with one arm, Inuyasha stared back at the group of would-be attackers, grimacing. 

"I'm not your pal, asshole. I hope you like red, cause you're about to be wearing a whole shitload of your own blood!"

"Step up, punk! I ain't afraid of no sissy little girl in a kimono! I'm gonna bust your head in, shrine boy, and then we'll see about teaching your girlfriend to speak when she's spoken to!" Inuyasha tilted his head to one side and his mouth cracked into a huge, lopsided grin. 

"Heh. Ningen, you're about to brighten up what's been a fairly shitty evening." 

~ 

"So why is it that your brother decided to lock himself in the bathroom?" she asked, peering over the top of her steaming cup to look at him. "Was it because you interrupted he and my daughter?"

"No." Sesshoumaru replied after pondering for a moment while he sipped from his own cup. "He was trying to hide his transformation from me, I think. He must have believed that I was going to take this opportunity to finally kill him." Higurashi-san suddenly leaned over the table to give Sesshoumaru a hard, piercing look, straight in the eye. 

"You know, I don't think I realized until just this moment that you two were being serious. You really have tried to kill each other, haven't you?" When he nodded, she cried out in disbelief, "I thought that was just an expression! Kids here say it all the time to their brothers and sisters. If I had Y50 for every time I heard Kagome say that she was going to kill Souta… But you two! I should've known it was serious when Kagome told me about your arm, but you both seemed so…polite. A little rambunctious, perhaps, but still…" As she leaned back in her seat, a thought suddenly occurred to her. "That's why he's been acting so strangely the last few days!" she cried, quickly sitting back up to slam her hand down on the table for emphasis. "No wonder! He's probably been so nervous that he doesn't know what to do with himself! Oh dear, this is much more than just a severe case of sibling rivalry…" she paused for a moment and stared off into space, apparently thinking. A few seconds later, when she had appeared to have reached a conclusion, she turned to the youkai and asked him earnestly, 

"Are you going to?"

"Kill him?" Sesshoumaru shrugged, starting to become annoyed with the direction this conversation was taking. "Probably. Someday. If Inuyasha is going to die, then it will be by my hand, and no one else's." 

"Why?" Higurashi-san asked, her eyebrows knitted together as she tried to wrap her mind around this disturbing information.

"There are many reasons," he said coolly, "none of which are any of your business." 

"Aren't they?" she asked, probing uncomfortably deeper. "Or is it that you really don't have any? From what I understand, that sword up in my…I mean, wherever I hid your weapons, was meant for your brother. It's not his fault your father left it to him. If you're going to be angry at anyone, be angry at your father, but don't murder your own blood over some stupid katana, especially when you already have two of your own!"

"I don't care about Tetsusaiga anymore, haven't you been listening?" Sesshoumaru said coldly. 

"Oh, I see. It's the principal! You don't think he deserves it, but he won't hand it over, so you'll have to teach him a rather harsh lesson, is that it?" Sesshoumaru swallowed hard, but somehow managed to still look impassive.

"If nothing else, Higurashi-san, there is the rather obvious loss of my arm." 

"I'll admit that that does trouble me." she said softly. "Why did he cut off your arm? He mentioned something earlier about you ripping apart his eyeball…is that why?" Sesshoumaru looked at the woman for a moment while he tried to decide what would be wise to say next, and what would be unwise. It would not improve his current situation any to tell her that he'd been trying to kill her daughter when Inuyasha had amputated his limb. 

"There was no special reason." he said finally. "Just our mutual hatred for one another. The same hatred that I believe will someday drive me to end his miserable existence."

"I don't believe that for one second. The young man I've gotten to know over the past few days is not capable of killing his baby brother." she said quietly.

"Woman, you have no idea what I am capable of!" he snapped back at her. "You know nothing about this Sesshoumaru, and furthermore-" he stopped abruptly, pausing to sniff the air around him. 

"What?" Higurashi-san asked, her voice pitching up with a lilt of concern. "What is it Sessho-kun?" 

"I can smell the hanyou's blood."

~

He hadn't heard the faint clicking sound over his own battle cries as he pounced on the ningen with the big mouth, and by the time he heard Kagome's cry of warning, it was too late. He turned just in time to see a cold glint of steel, and the rest was obscured by a hot flash of pain. The thug who had snuck up behind him, the one he recognized as Yuza, had stabbed downward hard and fast, embedding all six inches of the switchblade into the back of his right shoulder. He cried out in pain and frustration, staggering backward, away from the man he'd been pummeling and right into a very frightened Kagome, the hilt of the blade sticking out of his shoulder like some strange parasite. 

"Kuso!" he cursed softly, gingerly trying to reach back and grab the hilt, but when his fingers made even the slightest contact with it, he was hit with sudden waves of intense pain and dizziness. Quickly, he dropped into a crouch in front of the girl. For one brief, absurd moment, she thought that he wanted her to climb onto his back so that he could get them out of this situation, but that hope was dashed to pieces a second later when he growled "Kagome, pull it out." 

"I-I…" she stammered, her eyes widening and her heart pounding so fiercely that she was afraid it might pop out of her chest. The three boys, now minus Chen, whom Inuyasha had knocked completely senseless, were regrouping, and beginning to advance on the hapless couple. Kagome had never felt so helpless before in Inuyasha's presence. Where was her bow now that she really need it? 

"Goddamnit Kagome, I said pull it out!" Inuyasha screamed, breaking her away from her trance. "Don't go soft on me wench, you've done this before!" 

"Ok! Ok!" she cried. Grabbing the hilt of the switchblade firmly in both hands, she jerked upward with all her might, causing two things to happen at once; True, the blade had been freed from Inuyasha's shoulder, but now he was bleeding heavily, and she didn't know what she could do to stop it, short of shoving the knife back into the bloody hole. 

"Thank you." he said, standing back up, a little shaky on his feet as his body was beginning to go into shock. 

"Don't thank me!" she cried, "You're bleeding!"

"You think you'd be used to the sight of my blood by now, koishii…" he laughed darkly, his voice shaking with the effort, almost as much as his unsteady feet. "Run, Kagome. See if you can make it to that store you were talking about. I'll make sure you get there!" he said, heading back into the fray. 

~

There it was again. No mistaking it… and this was no shallow cut, either. The smell of the hanyou's blood was strong. Shit. How much trouble could one person get into in the course of a day? The whelp seemed to have a real talent for being in the wrong place at the wrong time…or perhaps he had gone looking for it, hoping to blow off steam? Doubtful, he'd had the wegome with him… Sesshoumaru lifted his nose into the air again, breathing rapidly in short, shallow huffs. 

This way… 

~

Kagome watched the battle as she did most others, from the sidelines, calling his name. If only she'd had her bow, or a rock, or anything at all for that matter, then she wouldn't be standing there, feeling so useless and weak. She had contemplated running for help for about half a second before she realized that there was no way that she could leave him. So instead of doing the intelligent thing, she stood and watched as he was beaten to a bloody mess. Not that he wasn't giving it right back to them, but he didn't have his normal speed and strength to fall back on, and he had seriously misjudged this fight, going in to it with his usual overconfidence. There were all of those factors, and then there was the fact that he was starting to weaken from the loss of blood…Kagome didn't know what to do. He wouldn't run, would never run, never back down…and when they were done with him, they were going to remember that she was still standing there. 

_'Well, I won't go down like a weak little coward!'_ she thought furiously, scanning the ground around her feet for something to defend herself with. _'I'm coming, Inuyasha!' _

She was so intent in her search, in fact, that she hadn't even noticed that the fight had suddenly taken a very drastic turn. It wasn't until she saw an eerie green glow casting crazy shadows on the ground in front of her that she even noticed that someone else had joined in the altercation… someone otherworldly. 

~

The human thugs were disposed of in a matter of seconds, and he hadn't even had to kill them or get his hands dirty. He'd simply grabbed them by their necks, as if they were merely rag dolls and not rather large, violent men, and tossed them back into the alley from whence they'd came. How dull. They didn't come back out again, probably due to the fact that their heads had collided with the cement wall at the end of the alleyway after he'd tossed them. They made a neat little pile, he thought to himself smugly, before he turned his full attention to the human boy he'd come looking after, who lay in a senseless, crumpled mass of limbs on the pavement. He shook his head and hissed through his teeth while he gave his brother a once-over, taking in the dark red stain that was seeping down the entire length of the back of his haori. When he heard the tiny gasp, his head shot up and he found himself locking eyes with the wegome, who was standing maybe ten feet away from where the short-lived battle had taken place. With a subtle movement of his head, he called the girl over and she obeyed, trotting up to them quickly. Then he leaned down and carefully scooped up the whelp, attempting to shift his brother's limp body over one shoulder. 

"Come along, runt." he grunted under his breath as he heaved Inuyasha's dead weight onto his shoulder and stood back up. With a quick glance back at the wench to see if she following, he started back in the direction of the shrine.

~ 

Inuyasha began to come to as they were ascending the long staircase that lead up the shrine and Kagome's home. It was all the jostling about as Sesshoumaru took each stair that had finally awakened him. 

"Nani…? Uhnn…" he moaned softly. As his eyes began to shift into focus, he saw a familiar red floral pattern emerge, centimeters from the end of his nose. 

"Sesshoumaru?" he asked, very confused.

"Hai. Nani?" came the clipped reply from somewhere around his right hip. 

"Put me down asshole, I know how to walk." he mumbled weakly. 

"Hmph." Sesshoumaru sniffed in amusement. "All those years of begging me to pick you up, and now that I finally have, you want to get down. Typical hanyou stubbornness, oto-chan."

"Oi, Sesshoumaru…put me down…I can walk…" he continued to protest, but his tone wasn't very convincing, and soon he gave up all together and sank back into unconsciousness. 

~

"Oh no…" Higurashi-san gasped when she opened the front door. "What in the world happened, Kagome? Even I can smell the blood!" 

"Street gang." Kagome said quickly as she ran to the hall closet to grab an old blanket. She hurriedly spread it over the couch, then helped Sesshoumaru get Inuyasha down off of his shoulder to lay him across it. "He was stabbed, I have to bandage his shoulder." She called back to her mother as she ran off again, this time to the kitchen to get the first aid kit down from on top of the refrigerator.

"Stabbed?! Kagome! I'm sorry, but this time we have to call a doctor!" Higurashi-san protested frantically as she stood impotently in the middle of the living room, torn between tending to the injured boy on her couch and chasing after her daughter. 

"Mama? What's going on?" Souta called suddenly from upstairs. "What's all the shouting about?" 

"Nothing dear, Inunii-chan just had a little accident, that's all. Now go back to bed!"

"Aw man!" the boy cursed under his breath as he left the landing and headed back to his room. "I miss out on everything good!"

"Now what was I doing again?" Higurashi-san said, looking around anxiously. "Oh right, I was going to call an ambulance…" She had reached for the telephone, when Kagome returned to the living room, carrying the rather large first aid box in both hands.

"No, Mama, it's ok, really." Kagome said reassuringly as she knelt down beside the couch. "I've seen him much worse off than this. A doctor's not going to do anything that I haven't done a thousand times before. I'll bandage him up like I always do, and in the morning, his youkai blood will return, and he'll be as good as new in no time, you'll see. It's really amazing." Higurashi-san was stunned by her daughter's poise and self-assurance in caring for the boy she was, for all intents and purposes, engaged to. While she herself was practically falling to pieces on the living room carpet, Kagome was calm and confident, opening the kit and going through it to find various bandages, antiseptics, and gauzes. 

"Kagome-chan…" her mother breathed softly in amazement. Her little girl was becoming a woman right before her very eyes. 

"This is what I do." the girl said simply. "I don't have time to be nervous…of course, it helps that he heals at a super-human rate." Then for the third time in twenty four hours, Kagome expertly began to strip Inuyasha down to the waist. Only in this instance, he wasn't fumbling with her clothing at the same time. 

"You seem to know your way around those ties pretty well, Kagome." her mother said as if reading her thoughts, a trifle scandalized. Kagome blushed and mumbled,

"Yeah, well, he does get injured quite a bit…" hoping that would end the discussion right there. After her mother's astute comment, however, she fond that her hand were a little shaky. As she tried to turn him over so that she could clean and disinfect the stab-wound, Inuyasha let out a loud groan and his eyes snapped open, suddenly very awake. 

~

"…dammitsofuckinghumiliatingcutbysomestupidweakhumanandthenrescuedbySESSHOUMARUmightaswellkillmyselfrightfuckingnow…" he grumbled under his breath as he began to realize what had happened, followed by a loud "OW! THAT FUCKING HURTS!" as Kagome began to clean around the area. 

"Language!" Higurashi-san scolded, unable to control her reaction any more than he could. 

"I have to clean it, Inuyasha." Kagome said firmly. "I don't want it to get infected. Heaven knows where that knife has been…"

"Well you don't have to stick your finger in the hole!" he growled. 

"Don't be ridiculous." she said calmly. "I'm trying to help you."

"OW!" he screamed again as she wiped over the area, squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth against the pain that seemed to radiate from his back to his front, wrapping around him like a thick blanket. 

"Kagome," Higurashi-san whispered, eyeing the boy's face nervously. "He may heal quickly, but he's obviously in a lot of pain right now. Isn't there anything we can do for him?"

"I was hoping you'd know…Tylenol?" Kagome said weakly. Higurashi-san gave her daughter a look before turning to address her father. 

"Jii-san, what do you think?"

"Hmmm…" the old man mulled it over for a minute, then said suddenly and excitedly "Don't worry, I have just the thing!", and quickly left the room. A few minutes later, he returned with a cup full of clear liquid. 

"Here, drink this." he said, carefully handing the cup to the boy who had managed to pull himself upright while he had been gone. Inuyasha peered down into the cup, then looked up at the old man, eyeing him suspiciously.

"What is it?"

"Medicine, my dear boy. An old home remedy that cures whatever ails you. Drink it up and I promise you, you'll be feeling no pain." Raising one doubtful eyebrow, Inuyasha brought the cup to his lips and took a small swallow, only to spit it out again with a very large, dramatic _'PHTTTT!!!!'_, spraying it all over his lap. 

"It's Sake!" he cried out, eyes wide as saucers.

"Right you are lad!" Jii-chan exclaimed happily. "Now bottoms up!" Reluctantly, Inuyasha tipped his glass and downed the rice alcohol in a matter of seconds. 

"Good! Good!" Jii-chan exclaimed. "Alright, almost done."

"Almost?!" 

"You think one was going to do it? Don't be ridiculous! Here, give me your glass!" As Jii-chan poured glass after glass, Inuyasha drank them down. After the fourth or fifth time Jii-chan filled it, he noticed that he was beginning to go pleasantly numb. 

"Are you alright?" Kagome asked softly as she helped him into one of Jii-chan's soft white robes. His own clothing would have to be washed again, and mended this time around.

"Yeah." he said thickly. His head was buzzing from the alcohol and his speech was already beginning to slur, yet for some inexplicable reason, he found himself with another full glass every time he looked down. 

"I can't feel my face." he mumbled, blushing at Kagome.

"Yes, but how's you back?"

"I don't know. You tell me. You're the expert…" he said stupidly, trying as hard as he could to focus on her face. She had such a pretty face… 

"I'm not so sure that this was the best idea, Jii-chan." Kagome said quietly as she watched Inuyasha down another glass, then put her hand out to stop her grandfather before he refilled it yet again.

"Are you kidding?" Jii-chan laughed proudly. "Look how happy he looks! Is that the face of a young man in pain? I think not!" 

"Hey wegome!" Inuyasha said, staring at her very intently with his most serious, wide-eyed drunken face. "I never got my shhhocolate…" 


	35. Looking After Baby

Chapter 35: Looking after Baby

Crinkling up his nose at the smell of sake that was wafting off his brother, Sesshomaru asked, "What the hell is shhhocolate? And why does he smell like he took a bath in sake? Although I have to admit, the look on his face is an improvement over his usual pout." He leaned over Kagome's shoulder and peered at his brother.

"Shhhocolate'ssssverygood…niichn…" he stared at his brother as Kagome got up and helped her mother put away the first aid kit and the mess that was made when she tended Inuyasha's wound. Inuyasha had somehow managed to pull himself up into a sitting position as he solemnly regarded his brother. "Niichnwhy theretwo ofyou?" Closing an eye, he went on. "Whered theother onego? Niichnpleashe makeit shtopshpinnin" Sesshomaru caught him as he slumped forward. 

"Wegome? I need a bit of help here…." It was all he could do not to laugh as his brother's koibito came running and gently eased him back onto the couch. "The Wegome and I feel you should try and lie down for a while." He looked over at her and she nodded in agreement.

"Koishii…please stay here. You need to rest and if you get up and walk around you could wind up hurting yourself again. Please? I'll get you some chocolate, ok." She too was finding it hard not to laugh as she sat down next to him. The laugh did come out as a giggle as Inuyasha reached up and grabbed her chest.

"Koishii!" they said in unison, although hers was tinged with embarrassment and his with drunken lust. 

"You know, Oto-chan if you don't let go of the Wegome, she won't be able to go get you some shhhocolate…" Sesshomaru said a touch of amusement in his voice. Shaking his head and thinking to himself how very much like Chichi-ue the Whelp was turning out to be he added, "I'll stay here and keep you company, if you like."

"Really?thats shooo….nishe ofyou…Muchn?MuchnI ..Need thetree now….Ihavetomake…" he finished in fit of giggles. 

Rolling his eyes as he sighed, Sesshomaru gently hauled the hanyou turned ningen into a sitting position. "Come and you had better hold it or else Higarashi-sama will be mad at you not to mention myself." Slowly the two made their way to the tree out side the back door. 

"Where are you two going? Inuyasha you should be resting on the sofa! Sesshomaru, what's going on?"

"Gomen, Higarashi-sama, but if I don't get him outside he's going to make a mess in here."

"Well I'll go get you a basin while you go park him back on the sofa." She gave him her best stern mother look; the one that said you'd better listen now or else. 

"Not that kind of a mess. Please, just get the door for us….arigatou." Sesshomaru said as he propelled his wasted little brother out the door. "You'd better stay here…or you'll be seeing something you really don't want to…anno…anno…we're going to water your tree out back. Wake up Oto-chan!" He shook the hanyou turned ningen gently and Inuyasha woke up with a start. 

"Muuchn I gotta make now…."

"No! Hold it damnit! If you make a mess here Higarashi-sama will kill you! Besides it's just another few paces. Come!" They much to Sesshomaru's amazement made it out to the tree just in time for Inuyasha to 'water' it. That was when Sesshomaru noticed that his left foot was now being 'watered' as well. "Ahh…Oto-chan can you…ummmm water the tree and not my foot, please?"

~

Sesshomaru sat there and watched as his little brother slept off the medicinal sake. This time he found watching over him to be more amusing than boring, for Inuyasha would occasionally mutter some of the stupidest stuff in his sleep. Most of it was about how much he loved the wegome and how she was the best woman in the world for bringing him some shhhocolate. The fact that he never received said shhhocolate never registered in his brain for he mentioned it several times as the night walked on into day. The funniest part and most annoying too was when he went on and on about how much he loved the wegome's legs and the fact she always kept them in view. Funny in that his brother was trying his hardest to be seductive to a woman who wasn't there; annoying in that it was hard to pry the slowly returning hanyou's death grip off his knee. Still it pleased him that as the room began to slowly lighten, so did his brother's hair. He didn't remember much about his brother's previous transformations as it never occurred to him to bother remembering. So he watched in fascination as Inuyasha's ears started lengthening into a shape that resembled his own. Soon they grew into their old familiar dog-like shape and once again they sat on top of his head. It was then that he noticed the thumb in his brother's mouth. Laughing to himself he thought, "You're still the same little runt you once were, aren't you?" Now that most of the danger had passed he closed his eyes and dozed as well.

~

It was the low moan that woke him. 

"What the hell? OOOO my head……Sesshomaru if you so much as move an inch I'll kill you!" 

"What now? Can't I sleep in peace for a change without listening to your whining?" he said softly.

"Must you shout at me? Gods my head hurts!" He swore as he moved to rub the sleep from his eyes and the wound in his shoulder made itself known. "What the hell did you do to me?"

"Look asshole…I did nothing except save your ass last night and take you for a walk a few times so you could 'water' Higarashi-sama's garden." He looked at his brother through one open eye as he tried desperately to go back to sleep. "I also had to pry your paws off me a few times as well as sit there quietly while you kicked me in the ass a few times, but other than that I didn't do anything to you. Oh and by the way… you're right the wegome does have rather nice legs for a ningen."

"I'm going to kill yoooouuuuaaaaarrrrgghhh!!!!" Inuyasha in sitting up too quickly found himself hit with pain. He didn't know which was worse the dull throbbing in his head or the sharp ache in his right shoulder. 

"Lie still while I get the wegome! And I mean it! If you're not careful you'll re-open the wound in your shoulder. I don't think Higarashi-sama will take too kindly to you bleeding all over her furniture again." He gently pushed Inuyasha back down before getting up to go find the wegome. 

Tempting as it was to walk for he noticed his brother wincing every time he took a step, Sesshomaru opted instead to glide up to the wegome's room. Besides as far as he could tell it was still early in the morning and way too early to be waking the whole household. On a cloud of soft pink mist he gently floated up the stairs and made his way quietly to where his younger brother's intended slept. Stopping just outside her door, he knocked lightly on the door frame. He found himself knocking several times, with each one getting louder, before he got a response. However it wasn't the one he was hoping for.

"OI Sesshomaru! Stop that infernal racket! My head feels like it wants to explode and you're not helping any!"

Rolling his eyes and wondering how that outburst didn't wake the whole household along with the neighbors, he knocked again before going in. He glided over to where she lay sleeping and gently shook her awake. That was when he nearly had his head handed to him as she whacked him across the face before her eyes fluttered open. 

"Gomen…Sesshomaru….You scared me." She said softly her voice thick with sleep.

Fingering his jaw and thinking that their pups will at least have brawn instead of brains, he asked her to come downstairs with him. 

"Is Inuyasha alright?" she asked concern written all over her face.

"Yes he'll live…but his head is killing him. I believe it's an after effect of all that sake. Just how much did the old man pour inside him? Anyway, I told him to stay there so he doesn't reopen that wound and you'd better hurry before he gets up thinking I've killed you or something…." He turned to leave as she started to get up and hissed, "You'd better walk softly or better yet if you come now, we can float there."

"Nani? Float? How am I supposed to do that?" She asked as she grabbed her robe and threw it on. 

"Like this." He held out his hand and she took it. Then a look of wonder came over her face as she realized her feet were no longer touching the floor. Before she knew it they were down the stairs and on their way back to where her koibito lay. 

Sesshomaru let her down just before they reached the living for he was too tired to start anything with his brother. They walked in as softly as they could until she couldn't control herself anymore and flew the rest of the way to his waiting arms. 

"Koishii? Are you feeling better this morning?" She gently took his face in her hands and kissed the tip of his nose. 

"I am now…thanks to you." They smiled at each other as she looked him over to see if it was true. 

"Let me check your bandages and see if they need changing. Sesshomaru, can you please get the first aid kit from the kitchen? I left it there last night on the table. Thanks!"

Torn between complying with the wegome's request and remaining behind to see that they stayed out of 'trouble', Sesshomaru hesitated before doing the former. Although this time he decided to walk as he knew a few well placed steps would put out any fire in his brother. Sure enough as he headed down the hall, he heard his brother telling her, "Not now koishii my head hurts." 

~

"There that should do it." Kagome said as she finished bandaging up the hanyou's injured shoulder. By now Higarashi-san was awake and the delicious smell of breakfast was soon filling the house. 

"MMMMM….I'm hungry, what do you think your ofukuro is making for breakfast? I hope she makes those salty little strips of meat again. You know those things that look like she burnt them?" Inuyasha said as he eyed Kagome just as hungrily as he would have eyed said breakfast. 

"Hunh? Oh you mean bacon. Yeah, Mama's making that along with some pancakes this morning. Want me to see if they're ready?"

"Can't I snack on you now and eat that later?" He pulled her closer, and nibbled a bit on her ear. 

Reluctantly she got up and giving him a little kiss goodbye on the top of his head, she left to investigate the status of breakfast. She made her way to the kitchen and drinking in the smell of the hearty breakfast her mother was busy preparing; she sat down at the table. 

"Mama, how long until that's ready? Inuyasha's hungry and he's complaining his head hurts. I was going to give him some Tylenol, but I don't think he should take it until he's eaten something, unless you think it's ok to give it to him?"

"Funny you should say that Dear. His breakfast is ready. I put it on the tray over there." Higarashi-san puttered around the kitchen finishing up the breakfast. She walked past her daughter and handed her the Tylenol before going up to wake Sota and his grandfather. 

Kagome went and got the tray. She lifted the cover off of it and sighed when she saw what he mother had made Inuyasha for breakfast. _"There's no way he's going to want to eat rice gruel when the whole house smells like bacon…."_ She thought with a groan. 

~ 

Sesshomaru was at that moment drifting off to sleep in the wegome's room. He was dead tired of dealing with his brother's nonsense and now that he was out of danger, Sesshomaru decided a little sleep was in order. He was by now enjoying a wonderful dream about his Tsuki-chan when he heard the roar from downstairs.

"What the fuck is this shit??? I'm not eating that crap!!!! Where's the bacon????"

"Inuyasha what did I tell you about using that kind of language in this house?"

"Gomen Higarashi-san! Why did you make me this for breakfast? I'm hungry….this baby stuff isn't going to fill me up?"

"Because Dear, I don't think you should eat anything heavier until you're sure this'll stay down."

"Please Inuyasha, just eat it! I promise you Mama will make you all the pancakes and bacon you want afterwards. Right Mama?"

"Of course I will, but somehow I don't think even you will want to eat that much this morning."

Sesshomaru groaned and rolled over so he could use his one remaining hand to stuff the pillow over his head and ear. He was by now starting to wake up and he was not happy as this was a particularly pleasant dream he was having about his Tsuki-chan. He wondered if it was because all this talk about Tsuki-chan made him dream of her or if it was the faint perfume scent he smelled in the wegome's room. All he knew was once again that brat of Whelp had intruded when he was with his Tsuki-chan. Sighing he decided to get up and see what all the fuss was about. 

~ 

"Well I can see you're on the mend, Oto-chan. Is there any reason for you to be making all that noise, or would you like me to give you one?" he cracked his knuckles. 

"Shut up asshole and go away! I'm trying to get breakfast here." Inuyasha replied as he too cracked his knuckles. 

"Boys! There will be none of that here in my house anymore! Hear me? Besides I thought you told me you wouldn't take advantage of him when he wasn't up to strength Sesshomaru. And you Mister, I don't think it's fair to provoke your brother that way either! Now what is wrong with the breakfast I made you?"

"It's baby food!" he pouted.

"Well since you're acting like one…I think you should go ahead and eat it Oto-chan. If you want I can feed it to you just like I did when you were a little whelp."

"Keh! I don't need you to feed me, and besides how do know you won't poison me or something?"

"Because I want you back up to fighting strength when I rip your head off! You know when you were little, you caused this much trouble back then too! Why can't you eat what's given to you for Kami's sake? There's nothing wrong with this except it's getting cold. You know what…if you don't want it I'll eat it." Sesshomaru reached over to pick up the bowl.

Fast as lightening Inuyasha reached out and snagged the bowl first. Spilling it slightly he raised it to his lips and drank it down in one gulp. Then eyes bugging out, he looked around for somewhere to put it as his stomach revolted in protest at being filled. Sesshomaru laughed as he left the room calling out for the women to hurry with that basin. 


	36. Hung out to Dry

Chapter 36: Hung out to dry

The women could not possibly get there fast enough, and so it was that the rice gruel ended up back in the bowl, from whence it had come. When he had stopped gagging, Inuyasha carefully set the bowl back onto the tray, and called shakily into the other room, 

"Oi Sesshoumaru, you can eat it now." A second later, Higurashi-san ran into the living room, carrying a large, white plastic bucket in one hand. 

"Here you go, dear!"

"Too late..." he groaned wetly, before frantically grabbing the bucket out of her hands and sticking his face into it. When he resurfaced a few minutes later, he gave the woman an apologetic look.

"There's more in the bowl."

"I told you you'd have to go easy on your stomach!" she scolded. "Your brother just came into the kitchen to tell me that you gulped that entire bowl of rice gruel down in one shot! Well, I guess you were determined to make yourself sick, Inuyasha, and now you have! Congratulations!" Her anger faded, however, a moment later when his head disappeared into the bucket for a second time. When she could see his miserable face again, and was sure that her voice wouldn't be drowned out of his ears by the sounds of his own sickness, she softened her argument a touch. 

"Darling, you have to take it easy. I know that you're used to being the strong and independent one, but you don't have to be today. Everyone here understands that you need to rest so that your body can heal up, with the possible exception of you, so you don't have to overdo things. Listen to me, not only is your body recovering from a very nasty shock, but I'm afraid that on top of that, you're also suffering from a hangover, and a pretty vile one at that." 

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he groaned, clutching his stomach as what little of the rice gruel that had remained inside attacked it savagely. 

"That's when you feel sick the next morning, after drinking too much the night before. That's why your head hurts, dear. Jii-chan and his 'medicine', indeed." she sighed. "It seems to have done more harm than good." Taking the bucket out of his hands, she pushed him gently onto his back and pulled the blanket up to his chest. Then glancing over at the befouled breakfast tray, she said, "I'm sorry dear, but it looks like pancakes and bacon are completely out of the question. Would you like to try some more rice gruel…or maybe some toast?" she amended when he shot her a panicked look and turned slightly green. The thought of seeing another bowl of that pasty, off-white baby food had his stomach doing somersaults. 

"No." he mumbled, rolling onto his side so that he could turn his back to her and mope. "Donwanany."

"Suit yourself. But if you don't eat anything at all, I can't give you any Tylenol."

"Doncare." 

"Oh fine." Higurashi-san sighed. "If you're determined to act like a martyr, then you'll just have to suffer like one. But don't complain to me later about your aches and pains! Even my patience has a limit, Inuyasha."

"Keh!" 

Ignoring his little huff of indignation, Higurashi-san placed the bucket on the tray, next to the bowl, and took the entire thing into the kitchen to be rinsed out. 

"I'll be back with the bucket in a few minutes, in case you feel sick again. Will you be needing anything else?" she said flatly, irritated by his behavior and unable to mask it in her voice. He wasn't sure how to respond to her tone, having already used his best retort on her, so he remained stubbornly silent until she became fed up and left the room. 

After that, he dozed quietly, slipping in and out of consciousness periodically for about half an hour while the rest of the family ate without him. He'd attempted not to care, but there was one particularly galling moment when Sesshoumaru, who usually never ate very much of the ningen food at all, complimented Higurashi-san in an overly loud voice on the excellence of the bacon that morning and asked for seconds. Soon the final bites of pancake had disappeared from their plates, leaving the tantalizingly sweet aroma of syrup hanging in the air to torture the poor hanyou, and they went about the business of going out for the day. This was something for which Inuyasha was finally grateful. He sighed contently to himself as that noisy kid left for school, followed closely by the noisy old man. Some of the pressure seemed to ease from his aching head and shoulder at their departure, and he found himself wishing that Sesshoumaru had a job or school to go to as well, even if he wasn't particularly noisy, because then when Higurashi-san finally left to help her father at the shrine, he and Kagome would be alone inside an empty, blissfully silent house. Even if he wasn't feeling up to any 'strenuous physical activity', it would be heavenly to lay his throbbing head in her lap, drinking in her lovely, soothing scent and letting it wash over him while she stroked his hair and played with his ears. 

Speaking of which… he inhaled deeply. Her smell was drawing closer at that very moment. Unable to resist the delighted smile that was creeping onto his face, he turned over to see Kagome standing in the hallway, slipping on her shoes, dressed for the day in her white and green sailor fuku, with her big yellow backpack set squarely on her shoulders. 

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" he demanded, the smile quickly dissolving into his familiar scowl.

"School, Inuyasha." she said with a frown. "I'm going to school."

"You can't go to school!" he cried, sitting up too quickly and wincing when his body reminded him why he had been lying down in the first place. 

"Not only can I, but I have to koiishi. I've already missed half the week!"

"Hey, I got hurt last night protecting you!" he reminded her angrily, trying to keep the whine out of his voice. "You have to stay home and care for me." 

"Inuyasha, my mother will stay home and care for you, she doesn't have a chemistry lab today…" she muttered as she turned her back on him and headed for the kitchen. 

"Kagome!" he called after her furiously. "You can't do this! You're my mate! You're not doing what mates are supposed to do! It's my job to protect you, and you take care of me! I did my part, now you get your ass back here and do your job! And bring me some Tylenol! I think my head just cracked from all the shouting…" he moaned, applying firm pressure to both his temples. 

"I said no Tylenol on an empty stomach!" Higurashi-san called back from the kitchen.

"I wasn't talking to you baba, I was talking to my woman!"

"Insulting me is not going to get you ANYTHING around here, young man!"

"Kagome! GET BACK HERE!" he shouted, ignoring Higurashi-san's warning. His only answer was the sound of the back door slamming shut. 

Sesshoumaru appeared in the living room only seconds after the door closed, carrying a big pink pillow under his arm. 

"Here." he said, tossing the pillow to Inuyasha, "It's from her bed. As humorous as it is to watch, I thought that in your present condition, I'd spare you the trouble of having to look for the wench beneath the sofa this morning."

"You're too kind." Inuyasha sneered evilly up at the older youkai. 

"Your gratitude is very touching, oto-chan. Now stop whining like a child and let me rest in peace." Heaving an exhausted sigh, Sesshoumaru sat down in the over-stuffed chair adjacent to the sofa, where he'd spent the entire night watching his brother sleep. 

"Hey, I'm the one who's wounded, asshole!" Inuyasha whined, trying to defend himself, but only succeeding in proving Sesshoumaru's point. "If anyone has a right to complain, it's me." 

"Mmm. Your wounds can not be so grievous, or else your mate would not have left your side… Or is this customary behavior for your woman, brother?" he asked, causing Inuyasha to flinch inwardly. Sesshoumaru's remark had touched upon one of his own fears.

"Don't be ridiculous. You were there last night! You heard what she said, she takes care of me like this all the time. She's just confused. It's because we're here in her own village, that's why she's acting all stupid." he argued, but whether he was trying to convince Sesshoumaru or himself was uncertain. For his part, Sesshoumaru favored his hanyou half-brother with a tight, ironic smile and a raised eyebrow. 

"I wasn't aware that you remembered anything from last night, Inuyasha."

"Of course I do." he grumbled softly. "And that reminds me of something I've been meaning to ask you… Why did you come last night? Not that I needed it," he covered quickly, "I'm perfectly capable of fighting my own battles… but why did you help m-, uh, us?"

"I've told you before whelp. I will be the one to kill you, and no one else. How could I live with the shame, knowing that one of Chichi-ue's sons had been killed in the street like a beggar, by a group of delinquent ningen brats, no less." 

"That's so comforting." Inuyasha muttered. "Really, your brotherly love is awe-inspiring, nii-chan."

"You're welcome. Now shut up and go to sleep." Sesshoumaru commanded, leaning back in the chair and closing his eyes. "I was having the most pleasant dream before you started all your howling…"

"About your dead woman?" Inuyasha asked bluntly.

"You are in no position to speak of dead lovers, I believe." Sesshoumaru breathed softly, his eyes remaining closed. "More than once during the course of last night, you muttered a name in your drunken stupor that bore no resemblance to "Kagome."

"Well look at that…you _can_ say her name properly, you stubborn bastard…" 

"You're changing the subject." 

"You're damn right I am." 

"Is that why you were so anxious to mate with the wench? Did you hope to lose yourself in her body? Did you think it would make you forget? You'll never forget, oto-chan. You have been cursed." Then silently, in his own head, Sesshoumaru added 'Just as I have been…'

"Are you telling me?" Inuyasha snorted incredulously. "That's a laugh! Don't you think I already know it?! I dream about Kikyo almost every night, but let me assure you that those dreams are a far cry from the pleasant ones you claim to have about your dead woman. My guess is that you never saw hatred reflected back at yourself through Tsukikage's eyes, and that she never killed you." Sesshoumaru nodded his head sagely. 

"You do have an unfortunate taste in women, as I have mentioned before. They seem to have no respect for you."

"Yeah, well, I didn't exactly choose either of them, it was more like they chose me. And as for respect…" he sighed deeply, a thousand troubled thoughts and images assaulting his heart and mind at once. He saw Kikyo's face, the cold hatred and betrayal in her eyes a split second before she sealed him to the tree. He saw Kagome's face, mirroring those same emotions on the day she had discovered he and Kikyo together in the forest, their lips merged together in what had been a rather brief and cold, yet none the less passionate kiss. He didn't kid himself by pretending that he was a good person, but having been with both of the women who had shared his heart, both then and now, had made him long to be so. Yet, in the end, he always managed to destroy whatever small happiness he was granted in his life. He wondered how long he'd be allowed to have happiness with Kagome. All he could hope to do was hold fast to this all to brief shining moment before his luck ran out again and everything turned to shit. It suddenly occurred to him at that moment that even if they somehow managed to maintain a love spanning five centuries, the day would come, and all too soon for him, that he would lose her forever. And then? Then he'd just go on, never really aging, never dying, and living well beyond the point where his heart had ceased to live. He wondered if this was what had created the icy coldness in his brother's heart, manifesting itself in his hateful, murderous tendencies. If he were to lose Kagome, what sort of monster might he become? For that briefest of instances, Inuyasha came frighteningly close to understanding Sesshoumaru. 

"I've made a lot of mistakes." Inuyasha sighed softly to himself. "I'm not sure I deserve their respect." 

"Well, when you're right, you're right. Now go to sleep." And just like that, it was gone.

"Hey, asshole!" he snarled, "You're not supposed to agree with me!"

"What do you want me to do, lie? You're a pathetic brat. Accept this fact and your life will begin to make more sense to you. Now for the love of Kami, please stop running your mouth." 

"Asshole."

"Whelp."

"Bastard."

"Nooo…my parents were properly wed. _You're_ the bastard, remember?"

"Shithead."

"Infant."

"Ice Queen!"

"Hanyou."

"ouch….fluffy…"

"What was that?"


	37. Like Father, Like Son

Chapter 37: Like father, like son

"You heard me! I said….fluffy!"

"Fluffy? We sit here trading insults and that's the best you can come up with? Gods you're even more pathetic than I thought!"

"Well my head hurts and I'm tired and I really don't feel like talking to you any more. Besides I think I'm going to be sick again!"

"There's the bucket." Sesshomaru pointed to the bucket on the floor next to the sofa. "Try not to miss. Now if you're going to lie there quietly I just might be able to fall back asleep."

"Never let them say I robbed you of your beauty sleep, Onii-chan" he managed to choke out before he grabbed the bucket. Following it up with a few gagging noises as he had a case of the dry heaves; Inuyasha lay back eyes closed looking very pathetic as he tried to calm the storm in his stomach. "Oi Sesshomaru, you can rinse it now." He said weakly. 

"Get one of your women to do it for you. You do have a remarkable talent for getting them to look after you…rather like Chichi-ue." He finished under his breath. 

"Nanitozo…Onii-chan???" 

"No; now stop your whining and either do it yourself or live with it."

"But I'm sick and injured…." He whined. 

"Fuck off! I'm not going to do it; not now not ever. Now shut up and stop whining for Kami's sake! Shit you're worse than Chichi-ue!" he glared at his younger brother. Shaking his head as he looked away; something hit him in that moment and he started laughing.

"What's so funny Shit-head?" All traces of the whining gone from his voice as Inuyasha started getting angry at being laughed at. 

"Certainly not you, Baka Kusotare! I think I've just realized why Chichi-ue kept all those women." He chuckled to himself.

Inuyasha stared at him with an expectant pout on his face. Sesshomaru ignored him and patted his lap for he had spotted Buyo as she sauntered into the room. Buyo paused looking from one brother to the next before deciding that time spent on Sesshomaru's lap was worth the possibility of torture by Inuyasha. So in that slinky way that cats have, she walked over to Sesshomaru while making a wide berth around Inuyasha. Pausing just long enough to gather her feet under her she jumped onto his lap where she happily settled in. Hearing the cat purr under Sesshomaru's touch instead of the hissing and the low growl he usually got from her only increased the hanyou's annoyance at his older sibling. "So are you going to rinse it or not?" he asked making sure to increase the whining tone in his voice. 

Sesshomaru looked at him out of the corner of his eye and said simply, "No." 

"Keh! Fine! Then don't do it! And while you're at it go ahead and be a shit-head and don't tell me why Oyajii kept all those women! I don't care….." he lay there and sighed loudly. Then he started clicking the long sharp nails of his claws against one another as he thought of something else to do that was equally annoying. _"Oi Onii-chan, if you thought I was annoying before when I was just a whelp…wait 'til you see how annoying I am now!"_ he thought. 

Finally after what seemed like hours, Sesshomaru shouted at him, "Stop it already! You're behaving worse than Chichi-ue! Shit! I never thought I'd see anyone act like a bigger baby than he did when they didn't get their own way! Fine I'll tell you! The reason he had all those women is none of them could take him for very long! Since I spent more time growing up in the women's quarters than you did, I know things that you've probably known too but forgot!" He sighed as he tried to control his anger. 

"What kind of things?" Inuyasha lay there hardly believing his luck. He had always wanted to know more about his parents other than some vague memories of what they looked like and now it seemed like he would at least get to hear about his oyajii. 

"Well for one thing he could drink more than you can before becoming sick. He also had insatiable lusts; in that one woman wasn't enough for him…yet the woman he was with at the time was always his most special and favorite one. Perhaps it was good that Haha-ue knew how to prevent the other women from having pups or I'd have more of you to deal with!" he shuddered. Then he went on as if he were thinking out loud. "Funny how they all came running to do his bidding too including Haha-ue! And what did it get them? A moment's pleasure with Chichi-ue between their legs! But they all wanted him and all of them put up with his whining too!" he paused as he remembered his father's ways. 

"Gods how he could lead his men into battle! He was fearless and he could carry on wounded, where other men would have long fallen. You know it was like he could get wounded to within an inch of his life; lead the battle until it was won, and yet get him within sight of a pretty woman, and he was like a different man! Kami knows how all they had to do was flash him a smile and they would be called to spend the night, fussing over him, tending his wounds, drinking along with him into oblivion, and then leaving the rest of us to deal with it in the morning!" Becoming tired of hearing Inuyasha's low moaning he sighed and shooed Buyo from his lap. Getting up he barked, "Stay here and don't move!" then spinning on his heel, he headed towards the kitchen. 

Inuyasha who had no intention of moving anyways remained where he was on the couch, staring at the ceiling as he waited for his brother's return. He could just hear him moving about the kitchen; opening and closing drawers as well as cabinet doors, before he heard the sound of the back door opening and closing. He lay there half asleep as he wondered what Sesshomaru was up to and why all the sudden revelations about their oyajii too? He was then brought back from his reverie by a harsh, "Sit up and drink this!" and a cup of vile looking not to mention equally vile smelling liquid being shoved in his face. 

"What is this shit?" he asked mildly surprised that his stomach had at last calmed down; considering the way that thing smelled he was sure that the bucket wouldn't be enough. 

"Shut up and drink it. It's Haha-ue's remedy for hangovers. Chichi-ue also believed in the pain killing powers of sake." He gave out a short bitter laugh as he watched his brother drink it. "You may have your ofukuro's face, but your ways are a lot like Chichi-ue's." At Inuyasha's questioning look he went on. "Anyway, I learned to make it after Chibi-Nezumi died. For some reason, she was able to conceive a whelp, perhaps because Haha-ue never thought Chichi-ue would mate with her." At his brother's questioning look he explained as he once again sat in the comfy side chair. "Chibi-Nezumi was small, misshapen and ugly as hell. Yet until your ofukuro arrived she was one of Chichi-ue's favorites. Anyway, he took her to his bed often…and yet for some strange reason, Haha-ue never minded. Even when she grew great with child, she was treated royally by both of them until she died trying to whelp a pup as big as she was. I guess that's where you get your taste for strange women."

"Kagome is NOT strange!" Sesshomaru rolled his eyes at his brother's outburst for he had his own opinions concerning the wegome and her family. What he didn't hear was the softly added "and neither was Kikyo…" 

"If you say so….anyway, when she died Chichi-ue became overcome with grief as he felt it was all his fault she died. So he went looking for trouble and it found him…mmmm… this sounds remarkably like some we all know and love, doesn't it Oto-chan?" he said sarcastically. "Well he did something stupid and became wounded." Sesshomaru then gave his brother a pointed look. "Anyway, Fumiko in her infinite wisdom decided that best way for him to deal with his pain was to drink himself insensible. Funny how shortly after that Haha-ue had her married off to one of Chichi-ue's men who had just lost his wife….anyways he woke up half-way healed except for a monster hangover. I'm sure you can imagine the whining, moaning, groaning and complaining that went on that morning…"

"But what about my Ofukuro? How did she meet Oyajii? Who cares that he was a drunken waste before she came? I'm sure your precious Haha-ue drove him to it!"

"Do not ever speak of her in that tone ever….." Sesshomaru hissed. "What's to know? Your ofukuro was a whore and Chichi-ue liked whorish women! Shit! You know… he could do that too!"

"Do what? Bed a woman? From what you say he had tons of practice…"

"No not that! He could sit and speak with an enemy and drive them to violence! Then he would dispose of them as if it was nothing and everyone would congratulate him on saving his own skin! And he was impatient too! He would never listen to what anyone told him, for he always felt he knew better! Keh! And he could read about as well as you do too." He laughed again. "That's why he liked smart women! In fact if he had a choice between two women and one was very beautiful as well as stupid, and the other was as smart as she was plain; he'd choose the smart woman every time. Just like you …." He trailed off into a bitter laugh. Sesshomaru sat there staring off into space remembering things from his own childhood, so that he never saw the hurt expression on his younger brother's face.

Inuyasha lay there quietly as he took in all the hurtful things his brother told him. As much as it hurt to listen to his brother's bitter tirade he was pleased to find that he was very much like the father he really never knew. 

"So I guess that's why you were the favorite. Chichi-ue saw in you someone who was very much like him. Someone I couldn't be…."

Inuyasha sat there amazed at how Sesshomaru could be so hateful towards him one minute and then twist the whole thing around so that he wound up feeling sorry for him. "Nani? That's it? You sit there and spew venom about me and Oyajii and you know what? He doesn't sound anything at all like the great Chichi-ue you always go on about! I thought for once in your life you'd be able to tell me something important without drowning it in lies! Kami knows which one is real and which one is just your way of punishing me for some imagined hurts! What did I ever do to you? I couldn't have been your enemy back then for I just a little whelp!"

"You were always my enemy from the moment you were whelped! Gods! The way he carried on about you as if you were the most amazing thing in the world! How kawaii you were, what a strong cry you had, look at how amazing it is that you cold hold his finger! He would tell everyone and anyone who would listen! And most galling part of it all was you were just a stupid hanyou! You weren't even a full Youkai for Kami's sake! So I guess in a way you were amazing…."

"Cut the sarcasm! For once in your life tell me the truth without all the lies and counter lies and the sarcasm and all the other crap you like to pull on me! Just how am I like Oyajii?? You knew him… and I barely remember him. Nanitozo….Onii-chan."

Sesshomaru sat there brooding. This was starting to get uncomfortably close to what he had talked about with Higarashi-sama and he hadn't wanted to talk about it then and he certainly didn't want to talk about it now. So for the first time in his life he didn't retreat when he felt the odds were against him. Taking a deep breath and letting it out he started again. 

"What's to say….he loved women and he was very skilled at flattering them and telling them what they wanted to hear. Seems to me you do the same thing to the Wegome. I've heard it said you have chased after the soulless body of the dead miko only to come running back to the live wegome, where you tell her how much you love her." He held up a hand to stop Inuyasha from crying out. As if reading his mind he answered the unsaid question. "You roam about my lands for Kami's sake, so I do find out what you've been up to. Anyway, you have a knack for getting women to adore you…even Tsukikage loved you as much as the rest of them. Do you know how nauseating it was to listen to her carry on about you, only to have Chichi-ue repeat the same things at dinner? You do find the ningen just as fascinating as he did for didn't you both choose one as your mates? And before you interrupt me, let me say this: my Haha-ue was married to Chichi-ue simply because he conquered her oyajii's lands and felt that having a princess for a wife would better his station. Her oyajii was probably so relieved he was getting away with his head still attached to his shoulders that he agreed. They never loved each other the way he loved your ofukuro. She really was his mate. Your ofukuro was hated and feared for that." 

"Really??? You're telling me the truth here? No bullshit, no lies?" Inuyasha asked softly.

Sesshomaru looked him in the eye. "No lies little brother…she truly was his mate and if someone could have persuaded my Haha-ue to commit seppuku, I'm sure she would have been set up as queen. Happy?" He arched an eyebrow at him. "He would also fight until the point of death, something I've seen you do…and you're good at it too, just like him. I don't know if you would have been educated if he had lived or perhaps it just suited him to educate me, or maybe even my Haha-ue insisted I be educated. But I can tell you this, you're just as ignorant as he was, and it seems it really doesn't matter in the long run as you don't seem any worse for it. You're both… I don't know…simple." He shrugged. "But you have those who would follow you to the gates of hell and back and thank you for the experience. I still don't know why you were given the Tetsusaiga and I was not…but it doesn't matter to me anymore… and in case you forgot, while I look something like him…your spirit is more like his. When you're upset you go looking for trouble or perhaps that is the time you are most venerable so it finds you?" he shrugged. "Anyways I have heard it said that his blood runs strong in you….what that means I don't know. Maybe it is merely a poetic way of saying you are most definitely your father's son." He looked away again and fell silent as Inuyasha thought about what he said. So wrapped up was he in his thoughts that he nearly missed what Sesshomaru said next.

"Whatever it is… I know one thing is true: you both have this way of making me feel as though I can never measure up against you. And I hate you both for it….."


	38. Old Dog, New Tricks

Chapter 38: Old dog, new tricks…

Inuyasha stared at his brother for several minutes, dumbstruck and wondering what exactly he was supposed to do with this new revelation that seemed to have set the world on it's ear. Unable to come up with a proper reaction, let alone a response of any kind, he slowly and stiffly pulled himself from the sofa, ignoring the sharp cries of protest that leapt up from his right shoulder. 

"What are you doing?" Sesshoumaru asked curiously and slightly unnerved. Inuyasha shook his head silently and shambled toward the kitchen. "Where are you going?" Sesshoumaru demanded, but the hanyou did not respond. 

"Fool, haven't you listened to a single word that anyone has said? You're not to be up and about!" Inuyasha paused for a moment, resting against the doorframe that lead into the other room for support. He kept his back to Sesshoumaru; he couldn't trust his face at that moment.

"What the hell do you care?" he growled weakly. "You're just going to kill me anyway, right?" 

"Yes, but not this afternoon! I want to have the pleasure of ripping you apart with my bare hands, and I wouldn't want to get blood on Higurashi-san's carpet. Now get back here and rest."

"No." Inuyasha groaned as he shifted back onto his feet, keeping one hand on the wall to steady himself so that he wouldn't tumble forward onto the floor and break something important. "I can't stand it anymore. I'm going to find the Tylenol, I don't give a shit what Higurashi-baba says about an empty stomach, and then I'm going to search this shitheap until I find Tetsusaiga and the rest of my armor. Then I'm going to walk all the way to that goddamn school and drag my woman out of there, kicking and screaming if I have to because I just don't give a shit anymore, and it serves me right if I reopen my shoulder because if I'd just been a f***ing man in the first place and put my foot down this morning, I wouldn't have to drag my sorry ass all the way out there. And once I have my katana, my armor and my mate, …and some ramen…" he added quietly, "I am taking them all and I am going home. Feel free to follow, but I warn you that once we're back on our own lands, I'm going to give you until the count of five to get so far away from me that I can't even smell your noxious odor, and if you don't, I think I'll have to kill you."

"I-" Sesshoumaru began unsteadily, before lapsing back into the familiar pattern of abuse that fit him so comfortably. "I wasn't aware that you could count that high, Inuyasha."

"I'm going to have to keep reminding myself that you put me down because you're jealous of me." Inuyasha said quietly, more to himself than to Sesshoumaru. "I always thought it was because I wasn't pure blooded, and of course, you let me believe it, so why wouldn't I? You know, one time I was talking about this with Sango, and she said-"

"She?! Another one?!" Sesshoumaru barked incredulously, jumping headfirst into another disapproving monologue, in an attempt to dissuade his little brother from his current line of thought. "You really are remarkably pathetic! Does your little ningen mate know about this one as well? You're starting to worry me, oto-chan. Surely they can't all be on those preventative medicines! Fuck! How long until I start seeing little cross-blood whelps with our father's eyes running around the hills of my domain, digging up my countryside-" 

"Shut up!" Inuyasha roared, turning to face his brother. "Stop spewing your hate at me! It think it's more toxic than those stupid claws of yours! It's not my fault! I can't help the way you feel! I'm not even sure why you care anyway, because apart from my katana, you have everything else! You have the lands, the education, the title, Tensaiga, you've got cronies to bow low to you and kiss your ass, you even got oyajii's face! And more importantly, you have memories! Everything was neatly handed to you when Chichi-ue died, but you still want more! You call ME spoiled?! What have I got? I've got a sword and my skin and my teeth and my claws and a dead girl who shot me through the heart who is still finding ways to make me suffer, and a pretty little miko who thinks I'm her fucking HERO, but really has no idea what kind of a monster I really am, a few friends who like nothing better than reminding me of what a stupid jerk I am on a fairly regular basis, not to mention a homicidal older brother who wants to rip me limb from limb merely for EXISTING and making him feel bad about himself! Well tough shit! Get over it! You have everything! I should resent you, but honestly, I don't even care! I have asked you for NOTHING in this life, with the exception of five minutes ago, when I asked you to rinse out the bucket, and even then you refused! I am no threat to you! I don't want your precious stuff! All I want, all I've EVER wanted after you drove me away was just to be left alone to live my own life! Now that I've got a mate, all I have to do is get my revenge on that bastard who killed Kikyo, and then I can settled down, stay out of your hair and maybe raise a few pups! What's so terrible about that?! It has nothing to do with you! Now keep that poisonous tongue in your mouth and leave me be! I'm doing my best to help you get home faster, so the very least you can do is get off my back. I'm having enough trouble carrying my own weight around…"

"And you're going to walk all the way to this school?" Sesshoumaru asked dubiously. "You can barely stand."

"You don't know me." the hanyou said simply, turning his back on his brother once more. "Besides, much as I hate to admit it, you were right about one thing. That hangover cure is powerful stuff. Though you'd figure it'd have to be, judging by the way it tasted going down. Do I dare ask what was in it?"

"Why? Are you planning on making a habit out of playing the drunken fool, like our father?" Inuyasha made a sour face this suggestion. 

"Gods no. I didn't want to drink it in the first place."

"Then don't ask."

"Fine then, pretend I didn't." Stumbling into the kitchen, Inuyasha found the bottle of Tylenol sitting unopened on the kitchen table, where Higurashi-san had left it. He was relieved that finding it had been easy enough, but then opening it proved to be another matter entirely. After several failed attempts, he finally got fed up and bit the top of the bottle off completely. Spitting the cap out onto the floor, he tried to remember just how many of the little white tablets Higurashi-san had given him all those times before. 

"Two." Sesshoumaru said softly as if reading his mind, coming up behind him to investigate.

"I would have remembered." Inuyasha said indignantly, pouring a small pile of the tablets onto the counter, then picking out four of them with the tip of his claw. He popped them all into his mouth at once, then reached over to turn on the kitchen sink and ducked his head under the faucet to lap at the cool water directly, washing the pills down. 

"That was four." Sesshoumaru sighed, shaking his head.

"I know that. It's not a bee sting, you know, it hurts!" Inuyasha explained, growling softly. 

"Higurashi-san said you're supposed to eat something. There's probably a reason for that."

"What are you, my wet nurse all of a sudden? Fine, ofukuro, I'll eat something!" It was no great hardship, seeing as how he was hungry anyway, so he reached over and opened the cabinet in front of him to look for something quick, revealing, much to his surprise, his most beloved of all foods. Looking up at the brightly colored packages longingly, he wondered to himself, _'Is there time? They are instant…but Kagome usually makes them… Well, how hard could it be?'_

"Here!" he barked, handing one of the Styrofoam cups to Sesshoumaru. "Redeem yourself."

"What?"

"Read the directions. I already know basically what to do, you just check and make sure I'm doing it right."

"What are you doing?"

"Making food. Delicious food."

"How domestic of you…" Sesshoumaru sneered distastefully.

"You won't have any smart ass comments after you taste this stuff, fluffy. Gods…" he sighed in anticipation, smiling happily for the first time that morning. 

"You need a cooking pot." Sesshoumaru said dryly as he read the directions off the top of the cup, doing his best to ignore the 'fluffy' remark. Getting aggravated would only encourage the whelp.

"They're under there." Inuyasha said, pointing to the cabinet by Sesshoumaru's right knee, then waiting expectantly, his hand held out for the pot. Sesshoumaru eyed him coolly, then looked away. 

"You said read, oto-chan, you never said anything about fetching. I don't fetch." 

"I can't get down on my hands and knees, asshole, I'll tear my shoulder open again. Otherwise I wouldn't ask. Come on, it's two seconds out of your life."

"Very well." the demon sighed, condescending to stoop for a moment. "Here." he said, handing the little pot to Inuyasha, "Now put some water in it."

"Yeah, I already know that…" Inuyasha huffed, walking over to the sink and filling the pot up halfway. 

"Then why am I even bothering to read this if you already know?" Sesshoumaru snapped at him. 

"Because I can't, Baka, and I need you to tell me what comes next!" Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes and looked back down at the cup in his hand. 

"Boil the water."

"Ok, easy enough." Inuyasha reached over and turned on the stove, causing a small, blue flame to pop up underneath the pot, and prompting a mild reaction of surprise from his brother. 

"How do you know how to work that thing? I can't honestly believe that Higurashi-san encourages a baka kusotare like you to play with things that draw a flame." 

"…jealous…" Inuyasha reminded himself under his breath. "It was awhile back. Kagome was sick, so I came over here and made her the medicine that my ofukuro used to make for me when I was sick. Higurashi-san showed me how to use the stove, because I wanted to do it myself…mainly because I didn't want her to see what was going into it, because had she known, I doubt she would have let me give it to her daughter. Humans are so particular… Anyway, it wasn't so complicated that I wouldn't remember how to use it." 

"I see. Interesting…You care for the wench when she is ill, and yet, when you are wounded protecting her life, she's nowhere to be found…" 

"A situation that I am about to remedy, onii-chan." Inuyasha muttered, starting to become irritated. "The problem is that my bitch is still very young and stupid-"

"And technically not a bitch at all."

"Yes…" Inuyasha seethed through clenched teeth, "…technically… but that shouldn't matter. She just needs to be taught."

"Who are you trying to fool, Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru laughed condescendingly. "From what I've seen, you're the only one being taught anything. She dresses you up like a ningen, shows you off to her friends, parading you around like some new plaything… she even has you mating like one of them, and if I hadn't seen that with my own eyes, I never would have believed that such a thing was possible. I refuse to believe that you actually enjoyed it that way, laying down on a bed, on top of her! That's not natural, oto-chan. Admit it, she has you collared like a house pet." 

"I've been lax with her, I'll admit that. But that's all about to change. When we get back, she's going to get a quick, hard lesson in what it means to be the mate of an inuyoukai. You'll see who's the house pet, nii-" 

"Your water's boiling over." Sesshoumaru warned.

"Shit!" Inuyasha exclaimed, then "Ow!" as he grabbed the handle with his bare hand, burning himself. "Dammit…"

"I thought you knew what you were doing…"

"Enough already! Stop hen-pecking me! Gods, you're worse than_ she_ is… Hand me that cup…now I fill them up with the hot wateeeeeeeerrrrr…..aaaaaaannnnd, we wait." They stood together in complete silence for a few seconds, watching the two steaming cups intently, as if waiting for something miraculous to happen, until finally, Sesshoumaru leaned his head over to his brother's ear. 

"For how long?" he whispered, not wishing to disturb whatever was taking place inside the large white cups on the kitchen table. 

"Too long." Inuyasha whispered back, his eyes never leaving the white curls of steam that rose up from beneath the foil lids that covered the tops of the cups. "But Kagome swears it's only three minutes…has it been three minutes yet?" he asked hopefully. 

"I don't think so."

"Damn. This is taking too long…"

"Inuyasha, I'd be amazed if it's been more than five minutes from the time that you opened that cabinet."

"I'm in a hurry!" Inuyasha shot back at him. "I have to get to that school and back again before Higurashi-san gets it into her head to come check on us or something equally annoying. I'd ask you to cover for me, but we all know how good are at that…"

"In all fairness, I never agreed to cover for you that day. And I don't see why you're trying to be sneaky. She's going to figure it out when you return with the wegome several hours earlier than expected."

"Yeah, well, there's a big difference between finding out about it after the fact, and trying to stop me before I even get out the door. And that's why I'm not waiting for this stuff anymore. Three minutes or not, time's up because I said so!" Finding the drawer that housed the chopsticks, Inuyasha handed a pair to Sesshoumaru, and placed his brother's cup on a nearby counter, peeling off the lid for him. 

"Here. Eat it."

"Hmmm… I don't know. How do I know you didn't poison it or something?" Sesshoumaru said thoughtfully, referring back to the hanyou's poor behavior over breakfast that morning. 

"Funny. You're very funny. That was a valid concern, you know. You are poisonous, and you were touching my bowl!"

"And you didn't want to eat it." the youkai added.

"And I didn't want to eat it. But eat this it's good."

"Better than shhocolate?" Sesshoumaru asked mockingly, raising an eyebrow.

"Better than bacon. And I think that even the people in the next town over are aware of how fond you are of that, nii-chan." Inuyasha quipped, peeling the lid off of his own cup of noodles.

"You make it too easy, whelp." Sesshoumaru chuckled.

"Seriously, though." Inuyasha said, pointing at Sesshoumaru with his chopsticks, "Dig in, cause I'm not waiting any longer, and if you don't I'll have to eat both of them, and then I might just get a cramp, or get sick again and happen to miss the bucket…"

"Are you trying to convince me to eat or not with this disgusting conversation?"

"Jush ea it, you pai in the ash..." Inuyasha mumbled, his mouth already stuffed full of noodles. Eyeing the cup on the counter like it might hold a vat of tiny poisonous snakes rather than instant noodles, Sesshoumaru dipped his chopsticks into the broth and brought the tiniest bite he could manage up to his lips. He slurped thoughtfully for a moment, and then his eyes actually widened in surprise, his eyebrows disappearing behind his long, shaggy bangs.

"Ah! Good! Inuyasha, this is…good!"

~

"Are you certain that I can't convince you to wait a few more hours?" Sesshoumaru said as he watched his younger brother pull up the zipper on the baggy blue jeans as they both stood in the wench's bedroom. "There's no need for this. And at the rate you're moving, the wegome will be home before you even make it down the front steps." Inuyasha ignored Sesshoumaru's remarks and continued to dress himself in the futuristic clothing that Kagome had brought home for him the other night. He pulled the baseball cap down on his head firmly, the turned to look at Sesshoumaru. 

"Can you see them?"

"No."

"Great. Can you tie these shoes?" he said, looking down at his feet.

"No."

"Why not?" he asked, scowling.

"I only have one arm, imbecile!" Sesshoumaru spat back at him. "Tie your own shoes."

"(You) I don't know how." they said simultaneously. 

"Right, of course you don't…" the youkai sighed.

"I've never worn them!" Inuyasha said defensively.

"No, no, I know…" Sesshoumaru blew air through his nose. "You see? This is a bad idea."

"No." Inuyasha said, sitting down on the floor to fumble with the laces, hoping that maybe he'd get lucky. "Letting her go off to the well on her own three days ago was a bad idea. This is necessary. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm impatient. I want to go home, and I want to go home NOW. Besides, this will be a good lesson for Kagome. She needs to learn who's in charge here."

"If you say so…but it's only the matter of a few hours…"

"Phht!" Inuyasha snorted derisively. "Look at all that's happened in 'a matter of a few hours' over the last three days! I'm not taking that chance. I'm going. Besides, you act like a real bitch when you're cooped up for too long, and I'm sure we'll both be much happier when we can go our separate ways… Aww, fuck the shoes!" Inuyasha cursed, kicking them off. "They'll just slow me down. I don't plan on being there long enough for anyone to notice anyway!" Standing up straight, he brushed the wrinkles out of his shirt and glanced apprehensively over at Sesshoumaru.

"So…how do I look?"

"Stupid…vapid…edible…," his brother rattled off, "To name a few…"

"So I either look like a ningen, or a cow…" 

"Yes." Sesshoumaru nodded. "Whichever. Does it really matter?"

"No." Inuyasha said, his voice pitched up with a hint of surprise. "As long as I don't look a hanyou, I guess it doesn't. Alright. That's it, I'm off."

"You certainly are."

"Don't do anything to call attention to yourself while I'm gone." Inuyasha called over his shoulder as he hopped down the stairs and out the front door. 

"Look who's talking." Sesshoumaru grumbled, laying down on the little pink bedspread. 


	39. The Truth is Out

Chapter 39: The Truth is out…

Sesshomaru figured now was as good a time as any to get in a nice little nap as he now had the whole house to himself and it was blissfully quiet for a change. However after about ten minutes or so of lying there trying to think peaceful thoughts about his Tsuki-chan; he gave up. "Shit! Even when he's not here he finds a way to annoy the hell out of me! Now… where did we put that ningen clothing? Ah there it is!" he said to himself as he spotted the black bundle on the floor next to Kagome's desk. Picking it up he wondered if he could mange to get into it by himself. _"Well if my idiot brother can do it, then so can I!"_ he thought, while another little voice in his head reminded him that he only had one hand. So he told that voice to shut up and another twenty minutes later found him somewhat dressed. "Fuck this shatsu!" He swore as he couldn't get it on due to the fact that he was shy one arm. So wriggling out of it, he caught sight of himself in the mirror and decided he didn't look half bad in just the white muscle "T" and jeans. "Shit there's nothing I can do about my hair so I'll just have to leave it…" he mused as he flicked it over his ears and set out down the stairs towards the front door. After slipping on his shoes he wondered if he should leave a note explaining where they went or if he should just leave it. Just leaving it seemed a better option and with that he was out the door.

~

Sesshomaru made his way down the long shrine staircase and when he reached the bottom he paused long enough to sniff the air. Breathing in deeply he caught his brother's scent and took off in the direction the hanyou had taken earlier. He walked on as slowly as he could, smiling pleasantly at those who smiled at him for fear of attracting unwanted attention. Finally he could take it no longer and he started to increase his pace until he was nothing more than a black and white blur. Spotting his brother up ahead he slowed down enough to tail him for a while. 

~

"Oi Sesshomaru! You do know that if Higarashi-baba finds us both missing there's going to be hell to pay." Inuyasha called to his brother, while trying vainly to keep moving on without passing out. His head was by now spinning from the pain in his shoulder as well as the dull throbbing in head. "Damn fucking Tylenol shit doesn't work!" he swore under his breath. "Now not only does my head, shoulder and stomach hurt, I seem to have acquired a pain in the ass as well!" 

"What was that about a pain in the ass, Oto-chan?" Sesshomaru asked as he came up along side his brother. 

"Nothing that would concern you, Fluffy-chan. What the hell do you think you're doing here anyway? She's my woman and I don't need your help in bringing her back. You know you don't have to worry about us mating on the way home either, because if you really must know I don't feel up to it at the moment." Sensing his brother's scowl, he went on, "That's not to say I won't change my mind when I get back…"

"Keh! I don't think even Chichi-ue would have the strength to do that….I'm impressed little brother. By the way…what's with all this Fluffy crap anyway?"

Inuyasha laughed even though it hurt like hell; it was worth it for the look on his older brother's face. "You just look….I don't know….Fluffy?" 

Sighing loudly Sesshomaru said, "If I wasn't sure you were an idiot before Oto-chan, I'm positive you're one now. 'Fluffy' indeed." 

~

"So this is the school thing?" Sesshomaru pointed to the large building across the street. 

"Hai! I've been here once before. It's an amazing place and it's full of ningen. So you'd better stick close or you'll get lost…if you do I'm not looking for you." He grinned as they made their way towards it. Just as they got there, the bell rang and some of the students came outside as others hurried in from the smaller surrounding buildings. Inuyasha waited a few minutes before filing in with the rest of them. Sesshomaru, amazed at the sudden burst of energy in his younger brother, followed him and the two of them found themselves inside with no clue where to go next. 

They wandered around following everyone and as luck would have it they were spotted by a familiar face. 

"Oi Inuyasha, Sesshomaru!! What are you two doing here?" Eri cried as she walked over to them. "Don't tell me you're here to surprise Kagome-chan?" She clasped her hands together in delight. "That's like soooo romantic!" And taking Inuyasha aside for a minute she asked, "What's you're brother doing here, then? OOOO!!! Don't tell me he drove you here??!!"

Rolling his eyes he replied, "You could say that…errr…Eri?"

"OOO!!! You remembered my name!! That's so sweet!!! Come on let's go get Kagome!" Unfortunately for him, she pulled on Inuyasha's right arm and the pain that wracked his body nearly made him pass out. 

Once again Sesshomaru came to his rescue. "Oi, Eri-hime….please don't pull him so hard." He tried to remove her hand from the hanyou's arm. "He's been injured…you could open the wound if you're not careful."

"Eri-hime….." she sighed before the rest of what Sesshomaru told her registered in her brain. "Wound…Injured? What happened last night?" They were by now starting to attract attention as it wasn't everyday that the school was invaded by two long white haired living bishounen. Soon they were joined by Kagome's other two best friends as Sesshomaru explained patiently that Inuyasha was in a fight and was knifed when he tried to protect Kagome. This brought out a few more 'ooohs' and 'aaahs' from the girls as well as causing the curiosity seekers to give them a wide berth at the mention of the word 'fight'. So the two brothers stood there waiting while the girls fussed over Inuyasha. 

"Kami!!! That's soooo brave!!! Kawaii, strong, romantic; gods that Kagome is a lucky girl! I know, I know!!! Hey Inuyasha, do you have any other brothers? Or any cousins?? You know, that would like to have a girlfriend or two???" they tittered like a flock of birds. "What about any friends???" they asked hopefully as the bell rang and they all found themselves alone in the hall.

"No…" he said quietly, "except maybe Miroku….and he wouldn't mind having all of you…"he sighed. "Gomen…but I really need to find my mate. I need her at home looking after me…not wasting her time here. Do you know where she is?" he asked hopefully. 

"Mate???" the girls chorused just as Kagome appeared at the end of the hallway with Hojo, both of them carrying a stack of papers for their teacher.

"Why look….If it isn't the wegome consorting with a ningen male. No wonder she was in such a hurry to get here this morning, Inuyasha." Sesshomaru smirked. 

Growling low, Inuyasha push his way past the girls and headed towards his koibito. It was at that moment Kagome spotted the two demon brothers and she knew the shit was about to hit the fan if she didn't do something quick.

"Koishii!!! What a nice surprise to see you here!!!" She said as she rushed over to him as fast as she could without dropping any of the papers. "You know you shouldn't really be out of bed. It's not like I can help you here if you start bleeding again. But why are you here anyway? And what's he doing here?" she jerked her head over in Sesshomaru's direction. 

However Inuyasha either didn't hear, or chose not hear what she said as he pushed past her over towards Hojo.

Hojo hesitantly came over to him and said, "You must be Inuyasha. Higarashi's told me so much about you today…I was thinking how nice it would be to finally meet the guy who captured Higarashi's heart. I'm Hojo by th…."

He was cut off by Inuyasha who growled at him, "What are you doing with my mate, ningen?" then things got interesting as Sesshomaru picked that moment to remind the wegome of the terms of their wedding agreement. 

~

"I AM NOT consorting with Hojo! Sesshomaru how could you say such a thing! And you Mister, how could you believe him? We were told to go get these papers before class. For Kami's sake, there are guys attending this school and talking to them and walking down the halls with them while doing an errand for the teacher is NOT consorting with them!"

Ignoring her completely as if she weren't there, Inuyasha asked quietly, "What are you doing with my mate, ningen?"

"Gomen… I don't understand what you mean by 'mate'. I thought Higarashi said she was your koibito… the way you're carrying on…you're like a jealous husband who caught his wife in beh… in the company of someone else…??" Hojo, along with the girls, was thoroughly puzzled by Inuyasha's behavior. Inuyasha however was intent on one thing and one thing only and that was making sure this ningen male understood that Kagome was his.

"Look Ningen…Kagome is mine! She's my mate and I've marked her as such! You will cease to have anything to do with her or I'll be forced to kill you! Now what part of that don't you understand?" he said as he started cracking his knuckles. Everyone went quiet as the threat hung in the air between the hanyou and the human male. 

"Leave now Ningen or he will do it. Take these other women with you as they seem to be looking for a mate of their own." He looked over at his brother before looking back at Hojo. "I suggest you leave now if you value your life. The wegome is his mate and he will fight to the death if needed, to keep her. So do the smart thing and leave now and no one will get hurt…." Sesshomaru said in a low even tone. 

"Higarashi?" Hojo asked as he turned to her for answers.

"Just go Hojo…tell Ito-sensei that I'll be there in a minute." She smiled at him as she tried to get him to leave, then turning to her koibito she said, "Inuyasha…what's gotten into you?"

"Shut up woman! I will deal with you later! Listen Ningen….Kagome is mine! I marked her as such and if you weren't such an idiot you'd see it!"

Hojo sighed as Yuka asked the question for him, "'Marked'? Kagome-chan what's he talking about, 'marked'? Don't tell me you two went and got matching tattoos before the fight?"

"No wench, I mated with her! That's how I marked her! Gods you ningen are so stupid!!!"

~

Four sets of eyes turned to look at Kagome as she wished a hole could have opened up in the floor so she could crawl in it and never come out. As four mouths opened and chorused "Mated?" she turned beet red as she tried to explain but nothing wanted to come out of her mouth.

"You mean like you guys did it? And you didn't tell me afterwards!"

"Eri!!" the other two girls cried. 

"Well she should have told us! We're her friends you know! So what was it like?"

"ERI!!!" 

"Okay, okay….Kagome-chan call me later so we can talk!" she cried as the other two girls dragged her off down the hallway and back to class. 

"Ummm… I guess I will be getting this to class then." An equally embarrassed Hojo said. "It was…err…nice meeting you, Inuyasha?" 

"GGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR………….."

~

"Inuyasha! How could you?! You know what? By the end of day the whole school is going to know! People are going to talk about me and stupid guys are going to start hitting on me now, you idiot!" she glared at him as he looked at her stupidly. 

"Kagome…if anyone dares to lay a finger on you, I'll kill them! You're my mate and I'm sworn to protect you! What's so funny Fluffy chan?" The hanyou growled as he looked at his elder brother. 

That last remark caused Kagome to forget her troubles as she turned to look at Sesshomaru. "Fluffy-chan?" she silently mouthed.

"Nothing…I was just thinking how much you two remind me of Chichi-ue and your ofukuro. They used to fight like that every so often. At least she never threw anything at him like my Haha-ue! But then my Haha-ue had a temper…Anyway, I am finding that I don't envy you all that much anymore Oto-chan."

~

"Ah…Higarashi….I was wondering if you'd like me to bring these back to class for you. Ito-sensei really needs them. I…ummmm… told her you had something you needed to take care of in the hall and that's why you were delayed." Hojo said as he came up behind them. 

His arrival started Inuyasha growling again, but Sesshomaru laid a restraining hand on his shoulder and the hanyou stood there glaring at the unwelcome intruder. 

"Tell the wegome to hand them over to him and the ningen will disappear. You won that round Oto-chan… Keep this up and you might be able to keep that Kouga away from her as well…" he hissed in his younger brother's ear. 

"Kagome hand the shit over to the ningen and let's go." Inuyasha said quietly.

"Nani?! I can't just up and leave school like that! What are you crazy or something?" she cried as she handed over the papers to Hojo.

Just like Sesshomaru predicted Hojo started to leave and before he got too far down the hall he stopped, turned and asked, "Do you want me to tell her you had an emergency and had to go home? I can go sign you out after class if you want….."

"Ummmm…ok… thanks Hojo-kun." She smiled at him and then turned on the demon brothers. "Now then, whatever possessed to go and reveal something private like that to them? You know had I wanted them to know I would have told them! Geeze! First you tell my mother, then my friends, who else are you planning on telling Inuyasha? Why don't I just get a T-shirt that says 'I did "IT" with Inuyasha!'?! And you," She pointed at Sesshomaru. "What are you doing here with him? Shouldn't you be home, Sesshomaru, making sure your brother stayed put before he hurt himself again?" she shook her head exasperated with the two of them. "By the way… does Mama know you left?" 

~

"Inuyasha…how are you feeling now dear? Sesshomaru?" Looking around the deserted living room as she entered it, Higarashi-san wondered if the two of them had gone upstairs to rest. So she quietly went upstairs to see if they were resting there instead. Finding both rooms equally as deserted as the living room, an icy dread closed in around her heart. "Now where in the world did they go to?"

~

"I said let's GO Kagome….."

  



	40. Hardball

Chapter 40: Hardball

"Inuyasha, I already told you!" Kagome ranted in the quietest voice that her anger would allow. "I can't just leave whenever I feel like it, I have to finish out the day! Get it through your thick skull, I am not leaving! Baka!" Sesshoumaru tightened his grip on the hanyou's shoulder the second he felt the muscles beginning to tense and contract beneath his fingertips. The growl in Inuyasha's throat began to permeate throughout his entire body, and Kagome's withering glare lost some of it's fire as the noise filled the hallway, echoing off lockers. It no longer sounded like the angry rumblings of irritation that her ears had become accustomed to through her dealings with him. No…this sounded more like a rabid animal. When he spoke, his words barely cut through the thickness of it to reach her ears. 

"If you make me tell you again Kagome, you are going to be one very sorry little girl…"

"Are you threatening me?" Kagome could have laughed, would have laughed, in fact she almost had, but there was something lurking in the corners of his eyes that killed that impulse quite effectively. So instead she grimaced at him, her voice turning dark and malicious in an effort to match his. "Who the hell do you think you are?!" 

"I'm you're mate, bitch." he snarled softly, burning holes into her body with his eyes. "And don't you forget it."

"How could I forget?!" she cried out, her voice beginning to waver, just a bit, at the deadly quality in his. "You've told everyone from here to the sengoku jidai!" 

"That's right! And I'll tell whoever I want, whenever I want! It's the truth, Kagome, and people need to know it, especially THAT GUY!" he barked, pointing to the classroom door where Houjo had escaped to only moments before. In truth, it was the fact that Inuyasha could still smell the ningen male's scent lingering on Kagome that was triggering this violent reaction. It was mocking him with it's very presence, and would continue to do so long after they had left it's owner behind, until Inuyasha had the chance to cover the scent with his own again. 

"Why are you trying to hide it, bitch? You know that once we get back home, every youkai within a ten mile radius is going to know that you're mated to me!"

"I don't care about the youkai!" she hissed through her teeth. Then noting the odd expression on Sesshoumaru's face, she corrected herself. "Uh, gomen nasi, Sesshoumaru, what I meant to say is that I don't care about most youkai… Look, the point is that humans can't smell that you've marked me, and everyone I know with the exception of you two, Shippou and Kou-, uh, …Kirara… is a human." Kagome paused to catch her breath and mentally pat herself on the back. _'Phew! Careful, girl…that would have cost you…'_ Inhaling deeply and slowly, she tried to continue in a calmer tone of voice. "Houjo had no way of knowing that he was breaking some sort of… oh, I don't know… youkai taboo? Which shouldn't count anyway, since he's not even a youkai…" she reasoned to herself before returning her attention to the glaring hanyou. "And no one else would have known either, if you hadn't opened up your big fat mouth!"

"That's what I'm telling you!" Inuyasha countered. "If I hadn't said anything, he would have thought it was ok to keep hanging on you!"

"It _is_ ok for him to hang around me!" she argued, not hearing him properly.

"NO IT ISN'T!" he roared.

"No, actually, wegome, he's right, it isn't…."

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!" Kagome and Inuyasha screamed collectively at the youkai. Down the hallway, teachers began opening their doors to see what all the fuss was about. Grabbing Inuyasha by a forelock, Kagome dragged the youkai brothers down the hall and into the boiler room, hoping that the steady drone of the machinery inside would drown out the rest of their argument. When she had closed the door behind them, sealing them up in the warm, poorly-lit room that seemed to pulse from the machinery hidden within, Inuyasha grabbed her wrist and squeezed, hard enough to get her attention, but still very gentle for him, as he didn't want to break anything. She gasped, and her hand went limp, releasing his hair. He did not return the favor. Instead, he used his tight grip on her wrist to pull her face close to his so that they could speak more intimately. 

"As soon as we get home, you and I are going to have a _very_ long talk about your behavior." 

"MY BEHAVIOR?" Kagome squeaked furiously. "Are you insane?"

"Probably!" he shot back at her. "I could have picked some nice, quiet little village girl to settle down with! She would have called me 'Inugami' and worshipped the ground I walk on, coming to my bed and cooking for me whenever I wanted, jumping at my every command, just to make sure that I never got cross and decided to slaughter her entire family… but no! I had to pick the strange-looking miko from the crazy world with all the opinions!"

"Oh please, like you're such a catch! Of course! Didn't you know? Every little girl dreams about the guy who'll come visit her at school and treat her like an escaped convict! You're acting like my mother, for crying out loud, or like…like Sesshoumaru!"

"Nani?" a soft voice questioned from somewhere outside of their little hate bubble. 

"No I'm not!" Inuyasha fought back, defending himself against that most heinous insult. "I'm acting like the man you agreed to bind yourself to! You're my mate, goddamnit, and you'd better start acting like it, or I'm going to have to reprimand you!"

"Oh really?!" Kagome exclaimed in a mockery of astonishment. "Is that so? Ok tough guy, bring it on! If you so much as raise a single claw in my direction, I'll say the word so many times that you won't be capable of siring pups EVER!" Some of the anger seemed to melt from Inuyasha's eyes as he was taken aback, saddened by her accusations, disappointed by her behavior, but his jaw remained set and his arguments firm. 

"Kagome, I would never hit you." he said steadily. "But I am done with fighting you. I want to go home. So this is what's going to happen. I am going to walk out that door," he said, motioning with his head. "You are going to follow me." When Kagome opened her mouth to speak, he quickly cut her off. 

"If you think that you're going to defy me again, and NOT follow me, then I will be forced to follow you…everywhere. If you go back to class, I will go back to class. I will sit on your desk, and who knows? Maybe I'll bark at your teacher for a few hours. Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru will be left all alone to wander the hallways, and I'm sure you can imagine what sorts of things he'll find to entertain himself with. I wonder how many of your classmates he could devour in the time it would take me to drag you out of this school?" Kagome was silent for more than a few seconds, and Inuyasha didn't disturb her, but rather let it all sink in nicely.

"You wouldn't-" she began weakly before he silenced her with a crushing, possessive kiss. 

"Try me." he said softly as their lips parted when she tried to squirm away from him. "I'm so angry at you right now that even I'm not sure what I'm capable of." Kagome frowned at him defiantly, nibbling on her bottom lip. She looked from the scowling face of her koibito, to his brother, who looked like he was enjoying himself immensely. She wondered if he would wear the same expression on his face as he walked down the hallways of her middle school, decapitating her fellow students right and left. 

"Ok." she seethed finally through tight lips and clenched teeth. "Let me get my backpack." 

"Don't make me wait." Inuyasha warned, releasing her from his grip.

"I won't." she muttered. Storming over to the boiler room door, she threw it open and stepped back out into the hallway. To soften the blow, Inuyasha allowed her to walk back to the classroom unescorted. After all, there was no need to follow her. He had won.

"I'm impressed." Sesshoumaru whispered quietly from the shadows of the boiler room. "You got her to behave and you didn't even have to…persuade her." He flexed his claws at Inuyasha as if to illustrate his point. "Maybe you're smarter than I give you credit for, oto-chan." Inuyasha, however, was paying no attention, as he had already moved on to bigger and better things.

"Hey, Sesshoumaru!" the hanyou called happily from where he stood out in the hallway. "Look what I found!" he held up his hand, revealing a tiny, bright pink rubber ball captured between his thumb and his fore finger. "Heh. It kind of looks like the shikon no tama…" An instant later, he had stuffed it into his mouth and was chewing on it, delighting in the high-pitched squeaky noise that it made as it rubbed up against his teeth. 

"Then again, maybe not…" Sesshoumaru sighed. Kagome returned a few minutes later, her face tightly drawn in anger, the impossibly enormous yellow backpack slung over one shoulder. 

"Spit that out." she sighed irritably at the hanyou, holding out her hand. "You don't know where that thing has been. Knowing our luck, you'll probably catch some horrible foreign disease."

"Keh!" he huffed, but obediently spit the ball out into her hand. "Like that could ever…humph…" he finished feebly, remembering the chicken pox.

"Ew." Kagome whispered under her breath, handling the slimy, wet ball. She tossed it unceremoniously over her shoulder, and it bounced crazily down the hall behind them, zigzagging in random directions. Inuyasha watched it go, a pitiful look in his eyes. He wasn't exactly sure why, but he longed to chase after it. Maybe if he hadn't been hurting so much, he would have gone and brought it back, and then Kagome could have thrown it again, and he could have chased it and brought it back, and then she could have thrown it again, and he could have-

"Are you coming, oto-chan? It was your idea to come here and retrieve the wench, was it not?" 

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, right." with one last, longing look back at the pink rubber ball that had finally come to a rest at the end of the hallway, he turned to his companions and said, "Alright, let's get out of here." As they walked out the door and into the bright, midday sunlight, Sesshoumaru chuckled softly into his brother's ear. 

"It was tempting, wasn't it?" Inuyasha turned a slight shade of crimson and stuffed his hands into his pockets, scowling.

"I…I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Don't waste your breath denying it, oto-chan. You never could resist a game of fetch. When you were just a pup, I used to wear you out that way. You'd spend an entire morning chasing that damned ball around the garden, and by afternoon you were spent for the day, leaving my mate and I to ourselves, without your incessant interruptions." Sesshoumaru interrupted himself at that moment, with his own laughter. "You know, sometimes I wouldn't even throw the ball, I'd just pretend that I had! But you still went racing after it anyway. Then after about ten minutes, when you couldn't find it anywhere, you'd start searching through my robes… Aha… But it worked like magic, every time, and you never caught on that I was doing it on purpose, to make you go down earlier so that Tsuki-chan and I could have some peace for a few hours. You were so stupid…"

"You know, nii-chan, as much as I love hearing you brag about all the different ways you've cleverly managed to torment me over the years, I think you'd better give it a rest now, before I get all choked up…. Oi! Kagome! Where the hell are you going? The shrine is THIS way!"

"Sure, if you want to walk a few miles! Me, I prefer the subway, it's faster and you're not totally exhausted by the time you get home. But if you really want to drag yourself all the way back on your own two feet, then be my guest!" Actually, that didn't sound very appealing to the hanyou at all. After the long walk up and the tense confrontation, he was all but dead on his feet.

"Subway, huh? Is that something we can sit down in?" Kagome glanced up at the sun, squinting, a habit that she'd picked up on the long, dusty roads of the sengoku jidai, where clocks were not readily available. 

"At this time of day? Probably. There aren't usually a ton of commuters between here and our stop. Besides, even if we can't, it's better than walking. Come on, guys." she called, turning down a side street and then descending into a rather large opening in the ground that lead below the surface of the earth.

"A cave?" Sesshoumaru questioned, giving his brother a puzzled look. Inuyasha shot him back an equally puzzled look and shrugged.

"Got me."

"I thought that you were supposed to be well-versed in this place and it's many…oddities."

"It's a big world, Sesshoumaru. Just hurry up, I've lost sight of Kagome." They followed her scent down the long staircase, into the abyss. However, they lost it about halfway down, as it became mingled and confused by the scents of hundreds of other ningens. The stench was remarkable. It was warm, wet and foul, and the youkai brothers had to cover their mouths and noses to keep from gagging. 

"Gah! This is awful…" Sesshoumaru cursed, his words muffled by his hand. "This smell…it's overpowering!"

"Never mind the smell, we have bigger problems. How the hell am I supposed to find Kagome in all of this?"

"What? You mean you can't pick your own mate's scent out of a crowd?" Sesshoumaru said dryly. Inuyasha peeked over the fingers that were clamped over his own nose and mouth to furrow his eyebrows at his older brother.

"You're kidding, right?" came his own muffled reply.

"Yes, of course! Gods this is awful…"

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I think I'd rather walk after all." Inuyasha said, beginning to cough as he accidentally inhaled some of the dank air. Without really being conscious of the gesture, Sesshoumaru patted his little brother on the back, helping him get it out. A second later, it registered in his mind that he was feeling something wet beneath his palm. He turned his hand over slowly, to see it glistening a pale red in the lamplight. A bit horrified, he looked down at his brother's back to see a dark blotch on the back of the shirt, where he had clapped his hand a moment ago. 

"…kuso…" he cursed softly.

"Nani, nii-chan?"

"You're bleeding."

"Kuso" Inuyasha echoed. "How badly?"

"I can't be sure…. I couldn't even smell it. Look…" he said, holding his palm out flat for Inuyasha to see. "And the back of your shirt is wet with it."

"Wet? Shit…it must have sopped right through the bandages then…dammit! I don't understand this! It isn't like my body to be this weak! Back home, a little stick like this would have been healed by now. What the hell is wrong with me?"

"It could be any number of things. Perhaps the illness we contracted when we first arrived hasn't completely left your system, or perhaps it's because you were human when you received the wound."

"No, that's not it, that's never mattered before."

"Well then maybe it's because you've mated with the wench, and you're blood is acting strangely. Or maybe it's simply because you never stopped to rest long enough for it to heal! How are you feeling now?" 

"Not too bad, a little dizzy… Where the hell is Kagome?! Don't move, I'm going to see if she went around this corner." As he took a shaky step forward, his knees buckled beneath him. Luckily, there was a pillar to his left, and his arm shot out in time to catch himself. Unfortunately, Sesshoumaru had seen it all.

"Alright, up oto-chan!" he said, turning the hanyou around and staring to bend down so that he could hoist him up onto his shoulder. 

"Hey, hands off pal!" Inuyasha barked, backing away from him. "I don't need you to carry me around like I'm some fucking infant! Stop trying to pick me up all the time! You just trying to show off, I know you…" Sesshoumaru's face remained expressionless, but his voice nearly betrayed him.

"You are hurt. I am trying to help you."

"Yeah, sure you are. You mean you're trying to show your superiority, that's what you're trying to do, just like always!"

"That's not true." 

"Bullshit! What other reason could you possibly have for helping me? You hate me!"

"Perhaps." he said, gently placing the hanyou's right arm around his neck, and wrapping his sole arm around the younger demon's waist for support. "But first and last, you are my brother, Inuyasha."


	41. Life and Death

Chapter 41: Life and Death 

"Nani?" Inuyasha stared at his older brother as if he couldn't believe his ears. He removed his hand from his mouth just long enough to ask, "What the hell has gotten into you just now? Geeze you're scaring me worse than you ever did when I was growing up! 'You're my brother, Inuyasha.' What kind of sentimental crap are you spewing now?" Just then Inuyasha started to cough. Whether it was from the smell of the subway or the wound reopening in his back, Sesshomaru knew it wasn't good as he watched his younger brother pull his hand away from his face to stare at the blood on his palm. "Nii-chan…what's wrong with me?" 

"Sssshhh…." He soothed as he tried in vain to spot the wegome in the sea of heads that passed by. "Don't talk… Oto-chan so you don't wear yourself out….I just need to think a bit and I can't here! Damn it! I don't know if it's the noise or the smells or the millions of ningen swarming around here like so much vermin. All I know is we need to find the wegome and soon… you know we could try to get on this 'subway' whatever that is…" he sighed. "I don't know about you Oto-chan…but I do know I have no clue as to what it is or even where to go if I did. Look if we can't find her…we can always go back the long way. I'm sure I can find the way back if you'll stop your whining long enough to let me figure out where we are…Inuyasha? Inuyasha!?" He tried to gently shake the hanyou awake. "Inuyasha…please wake up!" Swearing softly to himself, he dragged his brother over towards the wall, out of the way of the late morning commuters. 

"Girls…are you two alright? Can I help you with anything?" a concerned and decidedly male voice asked. 

Turning his head to look over his shoulder at the Good Samaritan, Sesshomaru said politely in an equally male voice, "Fine… we're fine. You wouldn't have happened to have seen the wegome, would you?" 

Staring at the Youkai like he was seeing Sesshomaru for the first time, the man sputtered, "No! No ummmm…sorry to have disturbed you two…ummmm…girls…I mean guys? I have to be going now I have a train to catch!" Then he was gone as he melted back into the other people milling about looking for the train. 

"Shit! Where the hell did that wegome disappear to?" he swore under his breath as Sesshomaru gently lowered the barely conscious hanyou to the ground. He stood there debating with himself as to whether or not he should leave his brother and go in search of her or just stay put so he could watch over him. "Hell you're making this harder on me Inuyasha, than it was when I left you the first time…" he said softly. "True you weren't wounded back then, but you could have just as easily died. Damn it! Where the hell did that stupid wegome go?" He yelled the last part out loud and several people stared as they went past. Sighing he chose this time to stay. 

~ 

"Come on Inuyasha! We have to hurry and you'd better move it too Sesshomaru!" Kagome cried as she made her way down to the subway platform. Pausing just long enough to turn around to see if they were following, her heart skipped a beat when she saw they were nowhere in sight. "Shit! Where are they?" she swore as she looked around anxiously. "Inuyasha! Sesshomaru! Guys??? This isn't funny! Where are you?!" she called as she let her anger at the situation take over instead of the panic that was threatening to overwhelm her. 

Torn between getting on the train and hoping to find them on it, and panic at the thought of the two of them being left behind in the station, Kagome stood there trying to look in all directions at once. She felt herself starting to tear up in frustration before she spotted a white blur in the crowd. So she headed towards it instinctively as she hoped and prayed it was at least one of them. 

~ 

"Sesshomaru! Stay there! Where's Inuyasha?" Kagome cried out to the white head that was hurrying to catch another train in the station. "Sesshomaru! Huh?! Gomen!" she said to the white head as it turned around to reveal a male j-pop wannabe. She smiled weakly at his sneer and watched helplessly as he walked away. That was when the gods smiled on her. Turning around to look towards the stairwell, she spotted Sesshomaru in the crowd over by the wall. 

~ 

Sensing that he was being stalked, Sesshomaru carefully turned around to face this threat. It unnerved him that he couldn't tell if it was ningen or Youkai that was doing the stalking and he tensed in preparation for the encounter. That's when he spotted her. 

~ 

"Sesshomaru! Where's Inuyasha?! Kami! Nooooo! What's happened to him?" she cried as she ran to kneel beside the limp figure leaning against the wall. 

"His wound has reopened. He should have remained at your home resting but he insisted on coming to get you. He needed you at his side Wegome, looking after him. You should never have left him to go to that school place. As his mate it is your duty to look after him at times like this. I really can't tell here how serious it is... But I know it can't be good. We really need to get out of here...the noise, the crowds, and the smells are starting to get to me, so I can only imagine how it's affecting him." He took in another shallow breathe through his mouth. "Please Wegome...we need to leave now! If I remain here any longer I won't be able to be much help..." 

"Hai! Let's go then. We can't stay here if you say so....Sesshomaru...if we get him home so he can rest...do you think he'll be alright?" Kagome managed to choke out before the tears started falling down her cheeks. 

"Wegome...know this: if anything happens to him...I promise you I will revive him…" 

~

Sesshomaru dutifully followed the wegome while trying not to attract too much attention as they made their way home. 

"Wegome...Kah..go...may" he said softly. "Kah…go…may… I...please, I need to check on the Whelp. Kah…go...may...." 

"Hunh?! Sesshomaru, were you saying something to me?" 

"Hai...I believe the Whelp is leaving a trail behind us. I would like to set him set him down for a while so I can check on him..." 

Sesshomaru stopped and waited. He didn't have to wait long for Kagome to realize he wasn't following her. He chuckled softly at the way she turned and hurried back, concern written all over her face. 

"Look there's a park over there... Can you hold on to him for just a bit longer until we find a park bench?" 

He sighed. "If I must; I must." he smiled as his thoughts drifted back to their childhood. "Oi Sesshomaru! What's so funny? A minute ago you had me scared half to death that he was dying and now you're standing there smiling like you have gas!" 

"Nani?" At her angry look he continued. "I was just thinking that I never picked him up so much when he was a little whelp as I did in these past two days...I hope he's enjoying it." He said ruefully. 

"What was he like back then?" she asked as they strolled through the park looking for a bench. 

He looked at her and smiled. "He was a royal pain in my ass if you must know. Now he's more like a pain in my neck..." 

~ 

"Let's go put him down here, ok? I think there's a payphone over there. You know so I can call Mama." 

He looked at her blankly and her heart ached for he looked so much like Inuyasha when he did that. "A payphone is a... Never mind. You just sit here with him. I'll be right back in a sec..." 

~ 

Sesshomaru gently sat Inuyasha down on the bench with a bit of help from Kagome before she left them to call home. He sat next to him and he tried to position the hanyou so he could check his wound. After a bit of fussing during which Inuyasha moaned a few times; he managed to get his brother positioned so that he was leaning up against Sesshomaru's chest. While running his hand up under his brother's shirt so he could probe the wound, Sesshomaru's eyes widened in surprise at the comments he heard from some passers by. 

"Oi! Get a room you two!" 

"Terrible about the way the youth of the day carry on! You know when I was your age I wouldn't be caught dead holding hands with a boy in public, never mind sitting around kissing another girl! Have you no shame?" 

"Awwwee! Isn't that sweet? Remember Koishii when we used to make-out in the park?" 

"EEEEEWWWW! That's disgusting! Look at those two girls making-out over there!" 

"That's not disgusting...Suiitohaato ...that's hot! Why don't we call your friend Tomoyo and...OUCH! What was that for?" 

~ 

"Mama please be home!" Kagome thought as she waited for someone to answer the phone. Waiting for what seemed like an eternity, Kagome sent up a silent prayer to any gods who might be listening to keep her koibito safe. 

~ 

Sesshomaru sat there holding Inuyasha close to his breast as his thoughts drifted back to when his brother was little. He sat there patiently waiting for Kagome's return when he sensed them. He stopped his wordless singing as he looked up. 

"Go away! He's not ready to move on yet..." 

Some of them stood there while the rest floated above the ground rattling their chains while two of them brandished their sickles. They stared at him and laughed as Sesshomaru instinctively held his little brother closer. 

~ 

Kagome stood there lost in thought as she waited for her mother to answer the phone. After what seemed like a lifetime, Kagome heard a familiar voice in her ear. 

"Moshimoshi, this is the Higarashi residence, Higarashi-san speaking…." 

"Mama! Please hurry!" 

"Kagome? What's the matter? Can it wait? I have a problem here… the boys are missing." 

"I know, Mama…they're with me in the park, you know the one on the way to school?" 

"I know Dear, but why are you there, and not in class?" 

"Inuyasha came to get me, Mama…please hurry he bleeding all over Sesshomaru! Mama…please…" 

"Hai! Kagome…Dear, don't cry I'm on my way! Kagome…everything will be ok, you'll see." 

"Thanks, Mama…" 

"Bye Dear…" 

Kagome, after she heard the click, still held onto the phone. "Mama…hurry!" She thought as she hung up and headed back to the two brothers. 

~ 

"Oi Sesshomaru! How is he now? I've just called Mama and she's coming to get us!" She sighed with relief as she sat down behind them on the bench. She reached over and took Inuyasha's hand in her own. Not liking the icy feel to it, she asked Sesshomaru about it. "What's wrong with him…why is he so cold? I mean his hand is like ice…and he looks so…so…so limp…." She said as she tried not to start crying again. Kagome let go of Inuyasha's hand reluctantly and got up to face Sesshomaru. 

"It smells like the wound may be infected…but my guess is he didn't rest long enough to recover properly. Chichi-ue…Chichi-ue died from a wound…he had battled a dragon…and…well…. He didn't rest… like he should have…" He looked up at her as he heard her crying softly. "Wegome…Kagome…." He said softly. "The whelp will be fine…you'll see." 

~ 

"Kagome! Sesshomaru! Come let's get him in the car so we can get him to the nearest hospital." Higarashi-san cried as she ran over to where she spotted them sitting. 

Kagome at the sound of her mother's voice turned and got up to meet her halfway. "Mama! Please…let's just take him home…Sesshomaru says he'll be fine as long as he gets some rest. Mama in this condition we can't take him to the hospital…look at him…" she shook her head at her mother. "He has Youkai blood in him now…Mama. I mean what if they let him die just so they can…you know study him or something? And how can we explain those ears….?" She trailed off full of uncertainty as what he mother suggested sounded good…and yet…. She knew somehow it wasn't the right thing as far as her hanyou was concerned. 

"But Kagome…." 

"No Mama…I think he just needs to rest like Sesshomaru says…and no, I'm not going back to school either. I'm staying home to care for him…like I should have in the first place…" she finished softly as a wave of guilt hit her. 

~ 

"Ummmm… Sessho-kun why don't you try and sit…then Kagome and I can help you get your legs in as well as Inuyasha. You know I still think it'd be better if you just laid him down on the backseat…you could still try and sit back there with him…." 

"No. I must protect him from them…. They want him….but it is not his time to move on yet! All he needs is some rest so that his body can heal itself. He's lucky the night of the new moon has passed…." He sighed. "Pity it's not going to be a full moon tonight…or even a bigger one than the one a day past the new…." 

They drove the rest of the way in silence except for the sound of the lullaby Sesshomaru sang softly as he watched over his brother. 

~ 

"Kagome…You know I don't like this one bit! That boy looks like he lost a lot of blood and you can't just stick a band aid on it and hope the bleeding stops and he'll get better! And what's wrong with Sessho-kun? He's been acting strange since I came and got you." The two women looked over to where Sesshomaru sat next to Inuyasha who was tucked into Kagome's bed. They could just hear him muttering under his breath and Higarashi-san was worried when he came earlier and begged her for his sword. "Why does he want that one sword of his…you know he told me flat out he was going to kill Inuyasha one day and I don't want him to think he can do it here in some misguided attempt at putting his brother out of his misery…" 

"Mama….I don't think he'd do that. Maybe the Sesshomaru from before all this happened would have…but he seems different now…" She shrugged. "Which sword did he ask for anyway?" 

"I think he said it was the Tensaiga…why?" 

~ 

Sesshomaru spent the rest of the day sitting and watching over his younger brother. He at one point was dimly aware of the fact that Higarashi-san made lunch, not that he even ate so much as a bite of it. It was hard to turn it down and he felt as if he hurt Higarashi-sama's feelings, but he just didn't feel like eating it. All he felt like doing was sitting there watching and waiting. So he sat there singing wordlessly whenever Inuyasha would stir; sometimes placing a cool hand on the hanyou's fevered brow. Once when Inuyasha started coughing wetly again he tried to pick him up in a one-handed embrace, but had to settle for rolling him onto his side. He wasn't happy with all the blood that came up but afterwards Inuyasha seemed to sleep better so he did his best to clean it up. He was pleased when he heard the women tell Sota to be quiet when he came home as well as thankful to hear the old man come and take him to the shrine out back. 

~ 

"Sesshomaru…" he heard his name called in a soft silken whisper and for a moment he thought his Tsuki-chan was there telling him the hanyou was finally asleep. He heard her call him again and when he finally opened his eyes he was surprised at how dark the room had grown. 

"Hunh?" 

"Sesshomaru… I was wondering…how is he? You've been up here all day since we came home and all… He's going to be ok, right?" 

"Hai… I think so as long as he rests…I haven't seen them in a while; so it's possible the danger's passed. I will let you know if anything changes. Sleep well…Kagome…." 

"Good night…" She said as she gave her koibito a loving touch on his cheek, before turning to go. 

~ 

__

He picked up the ball and threw it again. "Go get it Koiinu! Hurry so I can throw it again!!!" Then he turned and smiled at his woman as she came over and sat next to him. It was as he was busy kissing her that he heard the annoyance come back again. 

"Maru-chan!! Me gots it! Throw again! Please Maru-chan!!!" 

~ 

__

"Maru-chan tell me a story!!!!" 

"Once there was this powerful lord…and what is it now Inuyasha??" 

"It's about Oyajii, isn't it?" 

Sighing, "No it's not. Now if you don't stop interrupting me I won't be able to tell this story, now will I?" 

"No…Me be good…ok?" 

~ 

__

"Kiss me good night, Maru-chan!" 

"No! Now go to sleep!" 

"Just do it Sesshomaru…it won't kill you, you know!" She said as she laughed. "Tsuki…why couldn't his ofukuro take him to bed with her tonight…and don't give me that crap about Chichi-ue being there too. I don't see why I'm always stuck with him…." 

~ 

__

"Inuyasha go to your own bed now!" 

"Me can't…me made wet…" 

Sighing, "You did what? Just take off your wet things and come here…." 

~ 

__

"No I haven't seen your Ofukuro…Inuyasha. Give us a minute and we'll go look for her, ok?" 

~ 

__

"I'm sorry Inuyasha…she's with Chichi-ue now…don't cry!" 

~ 

__

"Inuyasha…where's Tsuki? What happened here?" 

~ 

__

"Don't cry Inuyasha…let's go get Tsuki's sandal and obi. Come on we'd better get home…" 

~ 

__

"Inuyasha get out of that tree now!" 

"No! I feel closer to Oyajii and Ofukuro this way!" 

"If you fall and break your neck, I swear I'll leave you there to die!" 

~ 

__

"We cannot go home anymore… what you saw was the way they are disposing of the bodies…there is nothing left there for us anymore…" He bent down to look his younger brother in the eye. 

"Inuyasha… I have to leave in the morning… I must go to the land of the Seekers…I need to find the Tetsusaiga…" 

"But Maru-chan… please… take me with you!" 

"I'm sorry Inuyasha. It's too dangerous. I have to go alone. Promise me you'll stay away from any ningen you see. And that you'll hide when you…change. I'll come back and get you as soon as I can. I promise…Inuyasha… if I don't come back by the time you are a man… promise me you'll look for the Tetsusaiga and avenge our deaths…." 

~ 

__

"Damn it Inuyasha! I told you to stay away from the Ningen! All I can say is… that Miko's lucky she's dead little brother…." 

~ 

He heard the low moan in his sleep and it woke him with a start. "Damn it Inuyasha! I'm sorry I fell asleep! Get away from him! Damn it!" 

~ 

"Kagome…wake up…Wegome!" He shook her gently until her eyes opened. "Where did your ofukuro hide the Tensaiga?" 

"Noooooooo!!!!" 


	42. Promises from the Past

Chapter 42: Promises from the Past

"NOOOOO!" Kagome screamed at the top of her lungs, dashing past Sesshoumaru and out of the room to sprint down the hall, completely ignoring the youkai's plea for his sword in her haste. An instant later, the sounds of her gut-wrenching cries shattered the sleeping silence of the household. There was some noise and commotion as the other members of the family were jarred from their sleep, and he could hear the soft sound of confused voices, accompanied by shuffling and the clicks of lamps being switched on as the others rose from their beds to investigate. Unlike them, Sesshoumaru knew why the girl was keening, and he had made it his singular desire to put a stop to that heart breaking noise. Leaving Souta's room and turning left down the hall, he went in search of the one person who could aid him in this hour of desperation. Fortunately for him, she had been roused by her daughter's wailing and had just stepped out of her bedroom. 

"Kagome! What's wrong?!" she cried, throwing her arms into the sleeves of her robe as she started down the hallway towards the girl's bedroom. Sesshoumaru quickly stepped out in front of her, blocking her way. 

"Higurashi-san, I need my sword."

"Not now, Sessho-kun! What's going on?! Why is my daughter screaming?!"

"Higurashi-san," he repeated, "I need Tensaiga."

"No! I am not giving you any weapons! I'm through debating this with you! It's Inuyasha, isn't it?" she asked suddenly, her face going pale with dread. "Get out of my way, Sesshoumaru, I'm calling an ambulance!"

"Higurashi-san, my sword…"

"No!" she screamed hysterically, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. "You are not going to kill him! Do you understand me?! He's going to be alright, I just have to call an ambulance!"

"Higurashi-san," he said softly, "my brother is dead." The ningen woman stared at him in grievous disbelief, her hand flying up to her mouth as she made small choking noises in the back of her throat. 

"Dead…how?" she whimpered.

"He bled to death."

"How can this be…? He used to come over for dinner, and boast about how he'd killed dragons…this can't be happening…"

"Higurashi-san, if you'll just please tell me-"

"Oh Sessho-kun!" she gasped out, throwing her arms around the startled youkai in a loving embrace that he was totally unprepared for, the ferocity of which shook him to the very marrow of his bones. "…I'm so sorry…" she whispered into his shoulder. "…I know he, … I know you, …but… I am so SORRY!" As she broke down, the door behind them opened, and a very troubled looking old man and his grandson stepped into the hallway. 

"What has happened?" he asked, placing a gentle but firm hand on the boy's shoulder to keep him from running down the hall to see what all the fuss was about. The youkai ignored him. The old man could tell him nothing. 

"Higurashi-san," Sesshoumaru whispered, pushing gently away from the sobbing woman, "where is my sword?" She stared up at him, eyes shimmering with newly fallen tears, her face a mask of sorrow and confusion.

"Why? What good will it do?"

"Higurashi-san, please!" The intensity of this last appeal seemed to finally get through to the woman. Sniffling, she gave him his long-awaited answer.

"They're in my room, in the bottom drawer of the dresser, all three, along with some things I found in your brother's yukata while I was washing it… I suppose you'll be taking them all, now that…" the rest of her sentence was lost to him, both because she had started to choke up and because he hadn't waited around to hear the rest of it. He had his answer, and there was no time to be sensitive or polite about things.

With the tall youkai no longer blocking their path, the Higurashi family made their way down the hall to their beloved Kagome's bedroom.

Sesshoumaru, meanwhile, was rifling through the bottom drawer of Higurashi-san's dresser, pulling out soft white cotton sleeping garments and throwing them carelessly over his shoulder as he searched for the katanas. Beneath the seemingly endless layers of fabric, he found a thick, gray, woolen blanket, rolled up tightly lengthwise. It could be nothing else. Grabbing an end, he jerked it up roughly and the blanket unrolled, spilling it's contents onto the floor with metallic clang. 

There they were, Tetsusaiga and Tensaiga, his father's fangs, laid out before him like an offering, the demonic sword Toukijin laying between them, almost as if it were acting as a bodily symbol of he and Inuyasha's blood-stained past. It was all there. Everything he'd longed for over the past seventy years of his life was now within his grasp, and the one man who had stood between him and his purpose was now nothing more than an empty shell, a broken body absorbing the tears and saliva of his newly widowed sister-in-law. There was nothing to stop him from simply taking what he desired, from rolling the blanket back up and disappearing with it into the night, perhaps finding his own way back, perhaps taking his dead brother's wench with him to ensure his safe return… No, there was nothing holding him back…nothing, that is, except a promise that he had made to a young ningen girl, who had foolishly trusted the word of a youkai, simply because she had started to consider him as a friend… No, he admitted to himself. It was more than that… The way that she had been treating him over the last few days was more akin to family… 

He shook his head violently, trying to clear his head of such thoughts and their confusing emotional responses. It should have been so simple, he knew what he wanted! It was what he'd been wanting all along, striving for all these years… Revenge! Revenge against his enemies, revenge for Tsukikage, for Haha-ue, for Chichi-ue… revenge _against_ Chichi-ue for choosing to bequeath his greatest treasure to a bastard hanyou instead of his rightful, legitimate heir, and greatest of all, revenge against the accursed hanyou, for taking the sword, for taking his arm, and for taking his place in their father's fickle heart… 

The hanyou had made it so easy for him, so convenient…he hadn't even had to kill him, the whelp had died on his own…died… Shit! A sudden realization stabbed him through the back like a hot knife, like the knife that had caused the festering wound that had ended his only brother's life. Inuyasha was dead, and he had made a promise to the whelp's mate. He had been so wrapped up in his lust for vengeance, that he had nearly forgotten his original purpose in seeking the fangs. As he stared down at the twin katanas, two swords intended for two sons, fashioned from a pair of fangs that had also been brothers as they had been plucked from the same mouth, it was becoming painfully clear to him that he was going to have to make a choice. He'd made many choices in his life, some met with fair results, and some with bad, but nothing that came before or after had been or ever would be as difficult as the decision that was laid out before him on Higurashi-san's bedroom floor. 

If he chose Tensaiga, then he was throwing away three quarters of his life, spent in pursuit of the one ideal that had kept him searching long after he had wished for his an end to his own miserable existence. Could he really give that away? The sum of his lifetime? On the other hand, if he chose Tetsusaiga… 

As if to serve as a gentle reminder of what the consequences of that decision would be, he heard the soft wail of Kagome's voice through the half-open door. 

"I'm so sorry, Inuyasha, it's all my fault! Oh koishii…what am I going to do?"

"What am I going to do…" Sesshoumaru echoed softly, staring down at the swords, his hand floating a few inches above their hilts as he tried to come to a decision. 

It was at that moment he noticed that the fangs had not been the only occupants of the woolen blanket. Resting slightly to the left of where the katanas had landed, was a crudely made leather pouch, about the size of his fist. This must have been the 'something' that Higurashi-san had found inside of his brother's yukata… His curiosity getting the better of him, Sesshoumaru tugged open the drawstring at the top, using his fingers and his teeth, then poured the scant contents of the bag out onto the floor. An assortment of small things came tumbling out, and Sesshoumaru realized that these worthless trinkets must have been Inuyasha's 'treasures'. 

The first thing he spotted was a tiny yellow glass ball, shot through the middle with a thin, twisted strip of black. Though nothing of this sort existed in their own world, Sesshoumaru recognized it instantly for what it was. He had seen a large jar full of these little glass balls on top of Souta's desk, in a myriad of different colors. They were called marbles, the boy had explained. Souta must have presented his brother with that particular marble on one of his many visits to the shrine...and the reason why was obvious. It looked almost exactly like a miniature version of one his brother's, or indeed, one of his own, golden eyes. Rolling the marble with his fingertip back into the bag that now lay open on the floor beside him, he inspected the tiny pile once more. This time he noticed two tiny white fangs…Inuyasha's milk teeth. He wondered at what point in the hanyou's life they had fallen out, to be quickly replaced with the large, saber-like teeth of an adult youkai. It must have occurred sometime after he had left in search of the Tetsusaiga… He wondered if the whelp had been scared, if he had thought that all of his teeth were going to fall out… Is that why he had kept them? With a ragged sigh, he realized that he would probably never know. They went back into the bag, joining the marble. A blue jay feather…why, he had no idea. A tiny piece of rose quartz…again, no answers. A very small, dog-eared snapshot of the wegome in her school uniform; it was fairly obvious where he had gotten that… A few dried flowers and seeds… The head, all that seemed to remain, of a tiny wooden toy samurai that looked oddly familiar, though he couldn't quite place it… Soon, all that was left out in front of him where two small pieces of paper, folded into tiny squares. He unfolded the first very carefully, and was shocked to discover that it was the very painting of Inuyasha's ofukuro that the hanyou had crumpled and thrown at him last night…gods, was it only last night? But he had been fairly certain that he had returned that painting to the box, along with all the others… Sesshoumaru chuckled softly under his breath. That hanyou could be downright sneaky, when he wanted to be… Or perhaps Higurashi-san had had the foresight to realize that before too long, Inuyasha would have come to regret his hasty actions, and had added this little memento on her own. Either way, it belonged in the bag. 

Which left him with the final square of paper, this one much smaller that the painting had been. This unfolded to reveal nothing more than a few words, written in the kanji, in the sloppy, yet painstaking manner that could only be attributed to the very young or the very illiterate. "Inu Yasha" was all it said. Sesshoumaru was amazed. Despite his poor circumstances, his brother had somehow found the time and a willing teacher to learn how to make the letters that formed his own name. The page itself looked very old, and the letters were mostly faded away… so it must have been that miko, he reasoned. Little wonder that had he never gotten any further than his own name… With a heavy sigh, he refolded the scrap of paper and added it to the bag that was once again full of it's treasures. 

"So what happens now?" he asked his father's fangs out loud. "Do I add this to my box of memories, and let the hanyou become just one more among the many…" his hand paused, inches above the Tetsusaiga. "Or do I return these things to their rightful owner?" he asked as his fingers inched away from his brother's blade and back toward his own. "Help me, oyaji, I'm lost in the dark…" 

In the end, it was the women who finally decided for him. Of late, he had berated his brother for being foolish and weak when it came to the fairer sex, promising them one thing, and then doing another… Stringing along the ningen girl who loved him whole heartedly, while dallying with the undead miko…, or to look at it conversely, giving his heart to another woman, when he had already promised it to the miko… But as he searched his conscience, Sesshoumaru soon found that he himself had made his fair share of promises to women, and thus far, he had done a poor job of keeping them. 

Tsukikage, the long-dead love of his lifetime…

__

"Promise me that if anything happens to me, you will always be there for Inuyasha…to look after him _and protect him…"_

_"Hush, koishii, don't speak of such things…"_

_"Promise me, Maru-chan."_

_"Very well. For you, I promise this."_

Kagome, the little ningen wench, the miko who had freed his brother, both body and soul…

_"Sesshoumaru...if we get him home so he can rest...do you think he'll be alright?"_

"Wegome...know this; If anything happens to him...I promise you I will revive him…" 

The wise and insightful Higurashi-san, who, in all the time that he'd been there, through all the grief he'd caused her, had never once looked upon him with fear or doubt, had never seen him as most ningens would have, as a monster invading her home…

_"Are you going to?"_

"Kill him? Probably. Someday. If Inuyasha is going to die, then it will be by my hand, and no one else's."

"I don't believe that for one second. The young man I've gotten to know over the past few days is not capable of killing his baby brother." 

_"Woman, you have no idea what I am capable of!"_

And finally, there was his Rin…

_"Sesshoumaru-samaaaaaaaaaaa…."_

"Rin, I will be back shortly."

"But I'm so itchy! And I will miss you!"

"I won't be long… and I'll return with some medicines to help you."

"Sesshoumaru-sama, you're so good..." 

He felt torn in half, 

__

"Go to bed!"

"No!"

"BED!"

"No, I want to sleep wiff you, Muuchn!"

"Damn you, Inuyasha…you make it very hard at times to hate you…" 

conflicted by the memory of the two men that he used to be,

"You pathetic piece of shit…" 

"Worthless, stupid, selfish! All these things and more I've been hearing from you since the day I our father died and you were free to tell the whole world what you really thought of Chichi-ue's hanyou bastard!"

uncertain of who he was now, or what he may become…

_"What reason could you possibly have for helping me? You hate me."_

__

"Perhaps…but first and last, you are my brother, Inuyasha."

There was no simple answer to this conundrum. Either way, he would lose. So when it came time to choose his weapon, he closed his eyes, and it seemed that those same women placed their hands over his own. Trusting in their love for him, he allowed himself to be guided to the correct choice.

~

He had to push through a small crowd just to get back into the room. It was dark inside, as if no one wished to witness what had occurred under the harsh, unnatural glow of the ceiling lamp. It wasn't until he had stepped past the old man that he saw the pitiful sight that they all stood transfixed by. It wasn't something he hadn't seen before, on the battlefields, even in his father's palace… but it was something he had never expected to see in the wegome's soft pink bedroom, where he'd come to spend many a comfortable nap. This house had seemed so safe, so immune to tragedy, and yet he could not deny the bloody truth of his own eyes. The girl was laying in the bed that had served as both her bridal bed and her lover's deathbed, all in the span of a few short days. Her arms were wrapped protectively around the body of his younger brother, her face buried in the his neck as she softly repeated, over and over, "I'm sorry koishii, I'm so sorry…"

"Inunii-chan…" Souta whimpered suddenly, starting to rush forward, but Sesshoumaru caught him with his forearm and pushed him back into his mother's waiting arms. Kneeling down beside the bed, Sesshoumaru laid Tensaiga on the floor beside him, then reached his hand up to gently pull the Kagome out of her cold lover's embrace. 

"Kagome…" he whispered softly. She turned, startling at his touch and the sound of his voice, as if he were the last person on earth she'd been expecting to see. 

"You…you didn't leave!" she gasped. Her face was red and swollen from her grief, and it made him frown to see her usually pleasant face _'Pretty' _, he finally admitted to himself, '_yes, she is in fact rather pretty, not strange at all, he was right about that…'_

…to see her pretty face so abused by her own anguish. Worse still was the look of complete and utter shock in her eyes at his presence by her side. It spoke volumes about how she felt about his dependability, and it hurt him to admit that he'd earned every bit of that look. 

"I made a promise… Actually, I've made several, and it seems that the fates have decided that the time has come for me to honor them." 

"You brought Tensaiga?" she sniffed, her voice pitching up hopefully. 

"Hai, it's here." 

"Oh nii-san!" she cried, rolling over to crush him to her body, sobbing loudly into his ear as she had on the night that Inuyasha had been locked out of the house. This time, however, he didn't push her away and call her a moron. "How can I ever repay you?! I…he…there aren't enough words!" she cried out, turning her head to smother his face in tiny, joyful kisses. 

"Kagome, I still need to revive him…" he reminded her gently but firmly. "Please release me."

"Of course!" she cried happily, squeezing him tightly one last time. "Is there anything else you need me to do?"

"You need to get out of the bed."

"Oh…right!" the girl laughed nervously, pulling herself away from the youkai and going over to stand by her family. Once she was out of his hair, he reached down for the Tensaiga, and, stepping on the bottom of the sheath for stability, he pulled the katana from it's resting place. The Tensaiga pulsed in his hand, it's keen edge glowing the same cold blue-silver of his hair in the moonlight. 

Sesshoumaru stood above Inuyasha's body, his sword drawn, seeing what no one else in the room could, the loathsome gaki, the diminutive hell spawn who had wound their chains tightly around his brothers neck and chest.

"What's he gonna do?" Souta whispered in alarm, tugging at the sleeve of his mother's robe. 

"Shhh…" she soothed, "I think it will be alright, dear. Your sister seems to know what's going on, and we have to trust her. You trust your onee-chan, don't you?" she asked. "And Sessho-kun?"

"Hai, mama!" he said, all traces of fear and doubt absent from his voice. He trusted them. Higurashi-san smiled down at her son, all the while thinking to herself _'Oh, if it were only that simple…' , _as she watched the youkai raise the sword high and to his right. _'Please, gods, please don't let my family be witness to some bizarre, violent youkai mourning ritual…Please, Kami, not these boys…'_ She didn't have long to wonder, however, because within an instant, Sesshoumaru had brought his arm down in an impossibly fast, sweeping arch over his brother's body. 

There was a faint hissing noise, and bright light seemed to slice through Inuyasha's prostrate form, before it disappeared a few seconds later, with a sizzle and a snap, washing the room in darkness again. As the ningen family's eyes re-adjusted to the change in the light, the youkai and the miko watched and waited, holding their breath.

"Is he…?" Kagome asked after what seemed like a silent eternity.

"Shh!" Sesshoumaru frowned, tilting his head slightly to one side. "I'm listening…"

"Well, what if it didn't work?" This time, he favored her with a full-blown scowl.

"It always works. Be quiet, wench, I'm trying to listen!" The hanyou was still, very still….that wasn't a good sign. But what he had said to the wegome had been the truth, he had no reason to doubt in Tensaiga's abilities. So why wasn't it… Aaaah! There it was! Faint, yes, almost undetectable, yet there it was…

"He's alive." Sesshoumaru said simply, and an instant later, the weak sound of Inuyasha's heartbeat was joined by a thick, rushing liquid noise as his blood began to flow through his veins again. When the rushing had died down, he heard the heartbeat again, and this time, it was strong. Of course, no one else in the room heard any of this, so they were a bit baffled by Sesshoumaru's claim. But all eyes snapped onto the hanyou an instant later, when they heard the sharp, wheezing sound of his lungs filling with air again for the first time. 

"Amazing!" Jii-chan exclaimed softly. "Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that I would live to witness something as remarkable as this. Gods be praised! This is going to become a legend, my dear boy, passed down from generation to generation of Higurashi shrine families for-"

"…..mmnnnnnn…. oi, Jiijii, why do you always have to run your mouth when I'm trying to sleep?" came the irritable whine from Kagome's bed. As if one cue, everyone turned around at the same time to gape at the hanyou who had just sat up and was rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. When he realized that everyone was staring at him, he froze, his hand dropping slowly onto his knee. Looking up at all the somber faces, he frowned.

"Where's the funeral?" 

Kagome burst into another batch of fresh tears, and threw her arms around his neck. Inuyasha was very confused, but he put his arms around her anyway, returning the embrace.

"Are you alright, Kagome?" 

"Am _I_ alright?!" she laughed out loud, pulling away from him to look at his sweet, concerned face before planting a huge kiss on his lips. "Oh, koishii, you are priceless…" she sighed, burying her face back in his neck, which was warm again. Now more confused than ever, Inuyasha peeked over Kagome's shoulder to look at the rest of her family. His eyes wandered from face to smiling face, before ultimately stopping to rest on Sesshoumaru. His brother was still dressed in the not-so-white-now-more-like-blood-stained t-shirt and black jeans from earlier that day, and he was holding a katana. But what was really odd about him was that his eyes were smiling. Not his mouth, of course, but his eyes. It was unnerving…

"What are you so ha-" he bit off the rest of his sentence when he finally noticed that the katana Sesshoumaru was holding in his hand was not just any old sword. It was Tensaiga. That's when it dawned on him.

"I was…dead." he stated flatly.

"Yes." Kagome snuffled into his neck. "I felt your chest, there was no heartbeat. And you were so cold…"

"I was dead." he repeated, letting the meaning of these words sink in. "And Sesshoumaru, you used Tensaiga to resurrect me."

"Hai, oto-chan." For one brief moment, their gazes locked, and Sesshoumaru saw in his younger brother's eyes immense confusion and sadness, coupled with relief and immeasurable gratitude. Then Inuyasha disentangled himself from Kagome and flopped back down onto the bed, rolling onto his side so that his back was facing all of them.

"Keh!" he grumbled accusingly. "Show off."

~

"Are you certain that he's ready to travel yet?" Higurashi-san asked as she helped the youkai to attach the heavy breastplate across his chest. "I mean, look what happened the last time."

"Hai." Sesshoumaru replied, nodding. "The Tensaiga not only has the ability to restore life, but it is also a healing sword as well. All traces of his former wounds seem to have vanished."

"Well, that's a mercy!" Higurashi-san said happily as she lowered the spiked steel epaulettes onto his shoulders. "Good lord, Sessho-kun, how do you carry all this weight around?"

"Practice. If you'll just help me with the katanas, we're almost done here."

"That'll be a mercy, too! This was a lot easier to take off." she laughed, attaching Tensaiga and Toukijin at his waist. "How do you bathe?"

"Sadly, far too infrequently."

"I'm sorry to hear that." she said, clucking her tongue.

"Yes, I must admit that I am really going to miss that mechanical bath, if nothing else."

"If nothing else, indeed!" she said, smiling up at him. "Sessho-kun, there's still one thing I don't quite understand."

"Are you going to ask me why I chose to save his life?" he said softly. 

"Good heavens no!" she laughed, then laughed even harder at the expression on his face. "That part was very easy to understand, dear! What I don't understand is how what seemed to be such an insignificant little wound nearly ended your brother's life! From the way Kagome describes it, he's been run through and had fewer complications!" 

"Ah, that. Well, I don't really know, Higurashi-san. I'm not a hanyou. Maybe it was many different factors, all working together at once…"

"Sounds like fate, to me, Sessho-kun. I think that you two were brought here by some unseen hand, so that you could work through your differences, and everything that happened here was just another way of helping you two come together in the end. After all, you're brothers, and as I've said before, it was about time that you started acting like it."

"That's very amusing, Higurashi-san. Ludicrous, but amusing nonetheless. Now let's not speak of this again." 

~

"aaaaaahhhhh…" Inuyasha sighed, breathing her in. "I can't wait to get you alone in the forest…"

"Well you're going to have to wait, koiishi." she said matter-of-factly as she tossed a pair of balled socks into her backpack. "At least three more weeks, until the pills start working."

"Oh come on, Kagome, that's not funny! Forget about those stupid things… I'll be careful, I promise."

"You? Careful? That _is _funny! Not get off me, I have to finish packing before your brother starts getting impatient." She tried her best to stifle a giggle as he growled playfully and bit her on the back of the neck.

"Don't think I don't know exactly what that means, Inuyasha!" she said brusquely, trying to shake him off. "You said that I needed to learn, and _I've_ been doing my homework. And the answer, by the way, is still no." 

"Yeah?" he smiled, releasing her neck. "Well then tell me, what does _this_ mean?" 

"_Animal!_" she gasped.

~

"You two had better be behaving yourselves up there!" Higurashi-san called up the stairs. "Remember what I said!"

"No puppy-eared grandchildren!" they called back down to her together. 

"Hurry up you Kagome, Sessho-kun is anxious to leave."

"Keh!" Inuyasha laughed, bounding down the stairs with her daughter on his back, "You're just anxious for us to leave your house!"

"Yes, dear, you've caught on, I'm afraid." she laughed. "With the way you eat, Inuyasha, it was either send you home or sell the shrine. When will you be back, Kagome dear?"

"Oi, Higurashi-baba, we haven't even left yet!"

"That wasn't even cute the first time, Inu-kun."

"…gomen…"

"Give us a week or so, Mama. I'll try to make it back as soon as I can." 

"Well, don't come back alone. If Inuyasha is to be the father of my future puppy-eared grandchildren, then I think that he should probably be spending some more time around here as well. Just try to give me some advanced warning so that I can stock the fridge first…"

"Hai, Mama. One week. We'll try to be back by next Sunday, won't we 'Inu-kun'?" she teased, tugging on the tips of his ears. In response, he dumped her unceremoniously onto her keister.

"Owww!" she cried out, rubbing her tailbone as she rose to her feet. Inuyasha flicked his ears at her.

"If you two whelps are finished playing, do you think we might leave now?" a cold, disinterested voice called from the kitchen. 

"Ah, Mama, I see that along with helping him into his armor, you also helped him back into his superior attitude…" Kagome grumbled beneath her breath.

"Hold your tongue, little bitch. I am the alpha male of your clan, and I will be treated as such." Then, turning to Inuyasha he said, "Brother, all I can say is that you had better teach her quickly."

"Oh gods, not you too!" Kagome moaned.

"Nii-san," Inuyasha said, actually smiling at the youkai. "I couldn't agree with you more. Come on bitch!" he said, smacking her bottom playfully, "Let's head back."

~

"Gods, did we have to have this huge send off?" Inuyasha grumbled, looking back over his shoulder at the three humans who were following a few feet behind them as they made their way to the well house. "It's not like we won't be back in a week."

"Sesshoumaru won't." Kagome whispered, elbowing him in the ribs. 

"Thank goodness…" he mumbled back, which earned him another sharply prodding elbow. 

"Stop saying things like that! He saved your life! You could at least show a little gratitude…"

"I thanked him!" Inuyasha said defensively, rubbing his bruised side. 

"Yeah? When? I never heard anything like that."

"I did! You just weren't paying attention!"

"Well, if that's true, then it won't be a big deal if you do it again, right?"

"But I already-!"

"Don't make me say it…in front of Mama, Jii-chan and Souta…" she said in a sing-song voice. 

"Fine! Damn you're a violent bitch!"

"Well, I am _your _bitch, so it only stands to reason…" Picking up speed, Inuyasha soon caught up with his brother, who had been walking out alone in front. 

"Oi." he said loudly, so that Kagome could hear. 

"Nani?" 

Inuyasha scowled, his cheeks coloring slightly as he cast his eyes downward.

"woof." he barked reluctantly, causing Kagome's eyebrows to disappear behind her bangs in surprise. 

"grrrr…ruff." Sesshoumaru responded in kind.

"I know I already said it!" Inuyasha yelled back, thoroughly embarrassed.

"Well then stop bothering me about it!" Sesshoumaru growled. "I already regret it enough without the constant reminders!" 

As they reached the door to the musty old well house, Kagome turned around to hug her family goodbye. 

"I'll be back as soon as I can," she promised, "Most likely Sunday, if nothing out of the ordinary happens."

"Darling, what exactly would be out of the ordinary at this point?" her mother laughed.

"Good point. We'll see you Sunday." 

"Next Friday it is…" Higurashi-san sighed. "Goodbye, dear." she said, turning to look up a the hanyou. "Take care of yourself, and take extra-special care of my little girl." 

"Heh! That's a good one. She can take care of herself, don't worry." he said, bending down slightly so that his mother-in-law wouldn't have to stand on tip-toe to kiss his cheek. "Bye brat." he said, mussing up Souta's hair. "Bye geezer! Don't fall down those stairs and break a hip!"

"Bye Souta, Bye Jii-chan!" Kagome said, giving them both quick hugs. "Don't listen to Inuyasha, he's just happy to be going back."

"Come on, Kagome, the day's not getting any younger!" The hanyou called over his shoulder as he stepped into the well house.

"Alright, Alright!" she called after him, giving her mother a quick kiss before following him. Sesshoumaru stayed behind for a moment, so that he could say his final goodbyes in private. He was well aware of the fact that he would never return to this place, nor see these people again.

"Jii-san, it was very nice to meet you." he said politely, bowing to the old man. 

"May you live a long life." Jii-chan said formally, bowing to the youkai, who tried not to smirk at this suggestion.

"Souta, I had fun." he said simply.

"Hey Sessho-kun, if you ever come back, I'll show you how to play a video game. Think about it! That's what you call incentive, right Mama?"

"Hai."

"Anyway," the boy continued, "It was really cool while you were here, and next time I see Inunii-chan, I'll tell him to say 'Hi' to you for me."

"Of course." Sesshoumaru agreed easily, not wanting to dash the boy's hopes by telling him that the likelihood of he and Inuyasha spending any appreciable amount of time together, or even being inclined to exchange pleasantries at all, was very slim. 

"And I want you to have this to remember me by, in case you don't come back." The boy said, reaching his hand into the pocket of his jeans and pulling out a yellow and black cat's eye marble, an exact match to the one that Sesshoumaru had seen in his brother's leather pouch. 

"Ah!" Sesshoumaru said softly, honestly pleased. "Arigatou, Souta. I will not forget." He bowed his head slightly to the boy, who ignored his manners completely and flung himself at the demon, hugging him around the waist. Sesshoumaru patted the child on the back, feeling a little uncomfortable, but what was there to do? When the hug had ended, he found himself facing the first woman he'd been able to hold a meaningful conversation with in a very long time. 

"Higurashi-san…" he said slowly. He wished to express a million different thoughts and sentiments, but none of them seemed even remotely adequate, so he simply said "Thank you." The ningen woman smiled at him, understanding him all too well.

"You're welcome, Sesshoumaru." 

"I almost wish…" he said thoughtfully, before changing his mind and saying simply, "Goodbye, Higurashi-san." 

"Goodbye, Sesshoumaru." Then she added quietly, a second later, "Don't kill your little brother." 

"We shall see." he replied, then turned and followed Inuyasha and his wench into the well house, where the young couple had been waiting for him patiently. 

Well, Kagome had been waiting patiently. Inuyasha, on the other hand, already had one foot up on the lip of the well, and it appeared that he and the wench were arguing again. It seemed that Inuyasha had grown tired of waiting, and Kagome had been trying desperately to keep him from taking off without Sesshoumaru. 

"Inuyasha, be reasonable! We can't leave without him, there's no telling if he'll be able to make it back on his own! Besides, we are _not _leavinghim here with my family!"

"Why not? They seem to like him!"

"Now, now, there's no cause for bickering, whelps! I'm finished saying my goodbyes, we can go now." 

"There you are!" Inuyasha barked testily. "Finally! You know, for someone who's been riding my ass all week about getting back home, you sure are taking your sweet time!" 

"At what point did you become in a hurry?" Sesshoumaru asked, assuming his usual impassive tone. Inuyasha grumbled something uncouth which his companions ignored completely. 

"Alright, how does one do this?" Sesshoumaru asked, staring down into the murky depths of the well.

"There's nothing simpler! You just jump in." Kagome chirped happily, trying to lighten the mood. Ever since they'd decided that today was the day to go home, things had become tense between the brothers once more, as if all that had happened in the past week hadn't changed a thing. She found this prospect very depressing. She'd been harboring a naïve hope that after all they'd been through together, that they might actually start acting like family. Or at least acquaintances who were capable of tolerating one another…

"Alright, Inuyasha grumbled. Let's get this over with already! I want to go home."

"As do I." Sesshoumaru said evenly. 

"Ok boys, let's go!" Kagome said, trying to keep up her chipper façade. Neither brother moved. "What's the matter now?" she sighed.

"Nothing." they replied in unison. 

"You two are hopeless…" Kagome sighed, stepping up onto the edge of the well. "Here, Sesshoumaru, give me your hand. We came through the first time together, so it's only fitting that we go back together." 

"Hey!"

"Hey what?! Do you want to hold his hand and I'll follow?" The only response that she received for her troubles was a scowl. "I didn't think so!" she huffed. "Ok, Sesshoumaru, one, two, three...go!" Inuyasha watched as they disappeared together, then jumped in after them, right on their heels. Only moments later, all three had climbed out the other side and were standing on the edge of Inuyasha's forest, trying to decide what happened next. 

"So…?" Kagome said lamely, tapping her hands on her legs. 

"This is were we part ways, little ningen." Sesshoumaru said coolly. "I believe I have until the count of…what was that number again, oto-chan? Oh yes, I have until the count of five, wasn't that it? Well, I'd better not waste any time then. Good day, Wegome." he said, bowing his head slightly, before he turned on his heels and headed toward the sun. 

"Well, I guess we'd better be getting back to the village." Kagome said sadly. "What a waste…" she sighed to herself. She had taken maybe ten or twelve steps before she realized that Inuyasha was not following. Turning around, she saw that he was still standing where they had parted ways with Sesshoumaru. As far as she could tell, he hadn't moved an inch. 

"Inuyasha?" she called to him, uncertainly. He didn't respond, but merely continued to stare at the retreating form of his older brother. Then, after what must have been two or three minutes, he suddenly broke into a run. 

"Inuyasha?!" Kagome cried, her voice full of alarm, "What are you going to do?!" It took her a minute to realize that he wasn't preparing to attack, but was calling to the youkai. 

"Oi, Sesshoumaru, wait! Wait!" The demon paused in his tracks, obviously confused. 

"What is it, Inuyasha?" 

"There's one more thing…I wasn't going to tell you, and you'll probably think I'm crazy or make some nasty comment about me not getting enough oxygen to my brain or something-"

"Inuyasha, I'm in a hurry. What is it that you wanted to tell me? It must be important, or you wouldn't have run all the way out here like your ass was on fire." 

"When I was…when you… I mean…" the hanyou stammered uncomfortably under his older brother's scrutiny.

"Inuyasha, please," Sesshoumaru sighed wearily. "Just spit it out." 

"Uh, look, there was someone who wanted me to give you a message." Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. 

"Yes? Whom? I'm listening."

"I don't know who, it was just a voice inside my head, but she said-"

"She?!" 

"Yes, I think so…, anyway, she said to tell you not to worry so much about it. You did the best that anyone could do, and uh…'"

"And?! What else did she say?!"

"uh…"

"Damn it, Inuyasha, what the hell did she say?!!" 

"Well don't yell at me asshole, or I'll never remember!"

"I'm sorry… please, oto-chan, what else?" Sesshoumaru asked softly.

"She said…oh yeah…" Inuyasha said suddenly, his eyes lighting up. "She said to thank you for keeping your promise, and that she'd be keeping her eye on us. That was it." Sesshoumaru was silent for a moment, considering what he had just been told. 

"And this happened when?"

"I'm not really sure. Sometime after the subway, and sometime before I woke up with an audience. It was probably just a dream caused by the infection, that's why I didn't want to say anything…but just now, I figured I'd better, just in case. I wouldn't have wanted that on my conscience. You know, not telling you, I mean." 

"All right. Your mate is waiting for you, Inuyasha. You shouldn't leave her alone like that, you never know what could happen for that one instant while your back is turned." 

"Hai. I'm going. I just had to tell you that… I wouldn't want to piss off a voice from inside my head."

"Oto-chan," Sesshoumaru laughed softly, "you'd better go now before I say something that we'll both regret. I swear sometimes you set yourself up on purpose…" Inuyasha shook his head in mock disbelief. 

"This is the thanks I get for bringing you messages from beyond the grave, nii-chan? You really are an asshole!" With a small smile playing just at the corners of his lips, Sesshoumaru turned his back on the hanyou and started walking again.

"Runt." he called over his shoulder.

"Geezer!"

"Ningen."

"Inbred!"

"Hentai."

"Bitch!"

"Fluffy."

"Nani? ME?!" 

THE END 


	43. Epilogue: Sesshomaru

 Epilogue: Sesshomaru

He walked onwards towards the two who were waiting patiently for him, mulling over what his brother had said to him before he left. He wondered if it really was true, that _She_ spoke to him. "Probably" he reasoned "as it was just the sort of thing she would do." He remembered she was forever on his case about his feelings towards his little brother; always doing her best to smooth things over got when they got bad. Sighing he marched on carrying a silent conversation with her in his head.

_"Gomen…Tsuki, I really wanted to watch over him…it's just that at the time I couldn't…"_

_"Hush Koishii…Like I told the 'Whelp'  you did the best you could at the time and no one could fault you for it. So don't start troubling yourself Maru-chan…"_

_"I miss you sooo much…."_

_"I miss you too…." _

_"I could….be there with you…if you wanted…."_

_"Please don't Koishii….there are still things left for you to do there….I can wait…"_

_"But I can't!"_

_She laughed as he heard her say, "And you call him impatient! Besides you will be rewarded for your troubles…I promise!"_

_"Like the way I promised you I'd look after him?"_

Then before she could answer him, she was gone and all that remained for him was sound of her laughter. He smiled anyways for she was always laughing at him and it warmed his heart  to know that she always would…

~

"Sesshomaru-sama? Rin-chan is so happy you're back…"

"I am happy too." He gave her a small half smile. "Where's that worthless Jaken?"

"He's sick too…" she weakly pointed to a small bundle lying unnoticed in the shadows.

"Well I have brought back the medicines I promised…Gomen Rin!" he said as he looked back at her. "I'm sorry it took so long to get back home… things happened that kept me there in the wegome's village far longer than I intended."

"Rin-chan forgives you…Sesshomaru-sama." He smiled as he silently thanked her. 

"Sleep child…."

~

"Oi Sesshomaru! Look! It's the wegome! Can Rin-chan go thank her for the medicines? Please?!"

He nodded as he paused to turn and look at her. "Hai!"

"Arigatou Sesshomaru-sama!"

"Hurry!" he called as he watched her skip away. He smiled as he watched her stop and pick a handful of blossoms before continuing on her way.

"Oi! Wegome!  Wait up!" she cried.

Kagome stopped and turned at the sound of her name. "Oi Rin-chan!" She looked up and smiled at her lover's approach. "It's only Rin... I wonder what she wants?"

"Keh! It's more like what Sesshomaru wants! Make this quick Kagome, ok?"

She rolled her eyes at his remark and was about to start something with him when they were interrupted by Rin's approach.

"Wegome-sama..." the child bowed as low as she could with a handful of flowers. "Rin-chan wishes to say arigatou for giving Sesshomaru-sama the medicines to cure Rin-chan...And here!" she shoved the bouquet at Kagome.

"Arigatou Rin-chan! And you're welcome too! I hope you didn't suffer too much as it took us longer than expected to get back."

Rin shook her head. "No! It was ok! Rin-chan didn't suffer nearly as much as Jaken-sama did!" She flashed her toothy grin at Kagome who laughed in return.

"What happened to Jaken?"

"Jaken got the itchy spots worse than Rin-chan!"

~

He was sitting there leaning against a tree as he dozed peacefully, trusting Jaken to watch her while he dreamed. They were at the edge of a small meadow and Rin had insisted on gathering a bunch of the colorful blossoms that covered the meadow like a blanket. He chuckled to himself as he drifted off, for he knew he wake up later with a crown of them on his head. As he slept on he dreamed again of _her_, a faceless woman-child who always seemed to make him happy whenever he had that dream. This time as lay there he heard someone call his name. Confused as he surfaced from the dream into waking; he at first thought it was his Tsuki-chan calling him before he realized it was the Wegome.

He sighed. "What are you doing here disturbing my sleep again?"

"Nothing… I just wanted to ask you a favor…."

"Nani?! By the way…does Inuyasha know you're here… bothering me when I'm trying to sleep again?" He looked at her through on half opened eye.

"Hai! Well… err...not really. He knows I'm here but I don't think he knows you are...."

"Wegome...Kah..go..may… I will not be a part of any deceit you are planning against my brother. And no it's not because I feel any brotherly loyalty to the Whelp either. I just don't wish to be involved...." He dismissed her and closed his eyes again.

"Please... It's important or I wouldn't ask... And since you're family and all... I thought...well I thought you'd do this one little thing for me...."

"You presume much...Kagome."

"Please...I'll do what ever you ask...even if you ask me to go away and never bother you again…"

He sighed. "As tempting as that offer is... There is perhaps something you can do for me in return." He smiled at her.

Not liking the fact that he smiled, she asked him to her what he wanted in return.

"Do you think you could bring me back some ramen and teach Rin how to make it?"

"Hunh?!" She gave him her best 'you're crazy Inuyasha' look before laughing. "Deal!"

"So what is it you want?"

"I have to leave for a week and I can't take Inuyasha with me. I have some huge tests coming up and I need some time to study in peace as well as take them. You what he's like now..." She blushed slightly as he nodded. "Well let's just say I'll be writing 'this answer reeks of wrongness' as well as "even an idiot like Inuyasha knows the answer to this one' a lot. So how can I get him to stay here without following me?"

"Well... I could always rip his legs off..."

"Sesshomaru! Be serious!"

"But I was..." He looked at her. "Just give him something that you've worn a lot that carries your scent very heavily... It could even be something you wore..." he crinkled up his nose distastefully. "While mating."

"Baka hentai!" she muttered under her breath as he cocked an eyebrow at her, leaving her to wonder if he heard her comment. 

"When must I be there at the well?" he said a touch of amusement in his voice.

"Two days....arigatou 'Nii-chan!"

"Go back to your mate Wegome!"

~

"Oi Inuyasha!" the hanyou looked over his shoulder at the sound of his name. 

"What do you want Sesshomaru?" he asked as he wished his brother would go away.

"I'm here to fulfill my part of the Wegome's request." Sesshomaru said a touch of amusement in his voice. 

"Nani?"

"The Wegome asked me to prevent you from following her back to her village."

"I wasn't going there." He lied.

"Then why are you sitting on the edge of the well?"

~

"So what is that thing the Wegome gave you? It looks very small… but it smells rather pungent. I can smell it over here." He said as he came over and sat down near his brother.

"It's her pant tease..." he mumbled.

"Pant tease?" the Youkai raised his eyebrow.

"Hai...they are a small garment she wears...anno… anno… like a loin-cloth..." the hanyou practically whispered his reply.

"Baka hentai!"

"Geezer!"

"Arsehole!"

"Bitch!"

"Shit-head!"

"Bastard!"

"How many times do I have to explain you're the bastard; my parents were the ones who married."

"Fluffy!"

"Are you starting that 'Fluffy' shit again?"

"Fluffy!"

"Idiot! Is that the best you can come up with?"

"Fluffy!"

~

"So when the water's done boiling and be careful you don't burn yourself Rin-chan when you touch the pot. Anyways... When the water's done boiling you carefully pour it in the cup after you open the lid like this." Kagome took the cup of ramen she held and peeled back the foil lid while Rin did the same with hers. Then she poured the water into her cup. Placing the pot back on the fire she handed the pot holder to Rin who then poured water into the two remaining cups. 

"Then you take this, and make sure all the sand is together in the one side and turn it over like this." Kagome flipped the small three minute egg-time over. "When all the sand is in the bottom the ramen is ready." She smiled as Rin solemnly watched the sand fall through the tiny hour glass. 

"Look! It's ready! Sesshomaru-sama would you like Rin-chan to help you?"

He nodded. "Hai!"

Rin peeled back the foil top like she watched Kagome do and carefully brought the steaming cup over to the Youkai lord. She patiently held the cup while he ate the ramen out of it. When he had finished he took the cup from her and drank the broth.  As he was finishing the rest of his she quickly ate hers.

"Arigatou Kagome(sama)" they chorused as she got up to leave. 

"Think you can manage on your own now?"

"If my idiot brother can make it I have no doubt that Rin will be able to make it as well."

She sighed. "Sayonara Seshomaru, Rin-chan!"

"Sayonara Kagome-sama!"

~

Inuyasha waited patiently for her return. It was all he could do to remain there and wait for her to walk over to him rather than run all the way over to her like he wanted to.  Within minutes she was there safe in his arms again and despite reeking of Sesshomaru and Rin; he was happy she was there once more. They walked on in companionable silence before he asked her how it went.

"It went fine Koishii… you should see that little Rin-chan! The way she helps him it's just too kawaii for words! You know what?"

"What?" he said as he slung his arm around her shoulder. He smiled when she reached up to hold the hand he had dangling off her shoulder. 

"I think one morning Sesshomaru's going to wake up very surprised to find he's got a ningen mate…" she giggled at the thought.

"Nani? You don't mean that brat do you? She's still a child for Kami's sake!"

"One day she'll be all grown up Inuyasha…"

"And all those crossbred little pups digging up his countryside…"

"Will be his!" she laughed as she looked him in the eye.

"That's evil…Kagome. But you know the bastard would deserve it too!"

"Inuyasha!"

"Ummm… do you think we could…ummmm… get some pups of our own?"

"Inuyasha!! Remem…." The rest was swallowed up as he took her face in his hands and brought close so he could kiss her.  They stood there kissing like that for a while before they reluctantly stopped and headed home.


	44. Epilogue: Inuyasha and Kagome

Epilogue: Inuyasha and Kagome

Returning to their small group of friends had been easier than either had anticipated. No one questioned their long stay on the other side of the well, as they all assumed that Kagome must have been adamant about finally getting some work done. While this assumption slightly irritated the hanyou, as it made it appear that he was incapable of bringing the girl back whenever he pleased, he let it pass. It was far less complicated than the truth. Besides, he wasn't in any hurry to be taunted mercilessly by Miroku, or to be given death threats by Sango, simply because he had finally claimed the bitch that had been rightfully his to take in the first place. And if Shippou knew what was good for his own skull, he would keep his mouth shut. So for the first few hours, things went on the way they always had…

Of course, once they got back out on the road, they ran into a few unexpected problems. For one thing, any time Miroku or Shippou went within a few feet of Kagome, Inuyasha would involuntarily start to growl murderously and bear his teeth. Then, when he was met with the inevitable looks of confusion from his traveling companions, he'd act defensive and sulk. Finally, after two whole days of growling and sulking, Kagome had had enough. Unable to stand the tension, or the noise, any longer, she apologized for him and explained everything that had happened at her home over the last week, omitting nothing, sparing no excruciating detail, no matter how insignificant it seemed. In fact, she had to "sit" Inuyasha a few times to keep him from censoring her. When he dared to complain to her about it afterward, she reminded him about the incident at her school.

"You told my friends. I told your friends. Now we're even. Just be thankful your parents are beyond my reach, or they'd be next."

"But I'm never going to hear the end of this! You even told them about…how I get when you're not around…" he whispered, a blush of humiliation spreading across his face. She favored him with a wry smile and a raised eyebrow.

"That's right! And I'll tell whoever I want, whenever I want! It's the truth, Inuyasha, and people need to know it." He glared at her as his own words left her mouth to be thrown back in his face. "Besides, koishii, I don't see how you expected to hide it from them! We're bound to get separated for a little while, sooner or later."

"That's what you think…" he grumbled, and that's when Kagome realized that she may have gotten more than she had bargained for. She couldn't help but cringe at the thought of what kind of effects her mating with the hanyou might have on their little group. 

As predicted, Miroku found it all very amusing. For some time, he kept himself entertained by going out of his way to pass closely by Kagome-sama whenever he went anywhere, prompting the instinctive growl in Inuyasha's throat. Then he would turn to the hanyou with a look of bewildered innocence on his face, the same look that he had perfected on Sango. This had the end result of Inuyasha really getting angry at the monk, and the growls soon became earnest, and not just unconscious. Luckily, the hoshi had enough interest in self-preservation that he spotted the exact moment when this change occurred, and respectfully backed off. 

Sango, on the other hand, found her everyday life thrown into upheaval. One of her chief concerns was that Inuyasha now insisted on bathing with Kagome-chan. That left two choices for the exterminator. She could either forgo all modesty and have to look at a naked hanyou every time she bathed (she wasn't concerned about him looking back, as whenever Kagome-chan was in his immediate sight, his eyes never left her body.) or she would be forced to bathe alone, and that presented it's own dangers… Plus, she had enjoyed spending her bath times with Kagome-chan. It was very nice to be able to confide in another girl every now and then. As much as she was embarrassed to admit it, she _had_ hoped that she would have been able to use their next bath as an opportunity to ask her friend a few personal questions about what it was like to be with a man, even if that man was half youkai. Unfortunately, it was not to be, and so Sango found herself without a companion at bath time, much to her great annoyance. Miroku kindly offered to take Kagome-sama's place, but was politely declined with a sharp crack to the skull by Hiraikotsu. 

That was the other problem. In the past, it had been she and Kagome-chan, fighting side by side in the war against the perverted males, but now that things had changed between her friend and Inuyasha, she often found herself alone on the battlefeild. Whereas before, a perverted comment from the hanyou would have earned him a fast and furious "SIT!", now all he received was a giggle or a blush and a whispered promise. To make matters worse, Inuyasha was coming out with such comments more frequently than he ever had before, as he was becoming more comfortable with public displays of affection. While she had to grudgingly admit that she had never seen the hanyou so happy or self-confident, seeing such things on a daily basis had only succeeded in encouraging the advances of a certain hoshi, who's new mantra had become "But Kagome-sama doesn't mind when Inuyasha does it!"

Sleeping arrangements, of course, had been changed immediately. Inuyasha finally consented to come down out of his tree, in favor of sharing Kagome's sleeping bag. Shippou found himself unwittingly relocated to the other side of the campfire, much to his dismay. Then, about three weeks later, the sleeping bag and it's occupants seemed to mysteriously move another ten feet away from the campsite, and every now and then, someone would wake in the night to the sounds of whimpers and growls, with the occasionally gasped "koi" thrown in for good measure. On the mornings following such nights, it became an unspoken rule of the camp that no one was to approach the sleeping bag under any circumstances, barring imminent danger, or make any loud, unnecessary noises, until it's occupants had caught up on their sleep. This law was strictly enforced, and was made after one particularly rough morning when Shippou tried to rouse the hanyou and his mate from their slumber, and nearly got his tail ripped off in the process by a naked and homicidal Inuyasha, operating on less than three hours of sleep. 

Life continued on that way for quite some time. There were other changes, of course, but they worked through them. Inuyasha became more of a constant presence by Kagome's side, if that was even possible. Gone were the days of Kagome disappearing into the well for days at a time, with Inuyasha waiting not-so-patiently on the other end, for now he just followed her wherever she went. Occasionally, Kagome would still get a moment or two to herself. Afterall, even a mighty hanyou must answer to the call of nature, and he wasn't about to drag her along to witness that. In fact, it was on one such occasion that she left the camp in search of Sesshoumaru. 

On their last trip home, she had learned that exams week at her school was rapidly approaching. If she hoped to pass any of them at all, she would need Sesshoumaru's help. Not that she didn't love having Inuyasha around, but the chances of her actually being able to get any studying done with him there were very slim. For some reason, being alone in her bedroom seemed to work like an aphrodisiac on her koibito, and she had a very hard time saying no, especially since the door to her bedroom had been fixed. So she had sought out her brother-in-law, and worked out a deal: an occupied Inuyasha in exchange for Ramen. Now those were terms she was more than happy to comply with. She already had to make huge Ramen buying excursions whenever she returned home, so shopping for one more wouldn't make much of a difference. She was just glad that the stuff was so cheap! If a little Ramen would be all it took to get Sesshoumaru's aid in certain matters, then she had a feeling that this could be the start of a beautiful relationship between herself and her koi's older brother. 

When the day in question finally arrived, she took Inuyasha aside and explained to him very carefully what was about to happen and her reasons for leaving. He did not take it well. Undaunted, she "sat" him, explained her reasons again and told him in no uncertain terms that she was leaving for exactly one week, he was not to follow, and that she would be leaving something behind for him with her scent on it so that he wouldn't start feeling lonely or desperate. She never mentioned Sesshoumaru.

~

"What did she bribe you with?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously, tucking Kagome's pant tease into the front of his haori.

"She did not 'bribe' me, as you put it." Sesshoumaru scoffed. "We made an agreement."

"Fine, delude yourself, it makes no difference to me. All I want to know is what were the terms of your 'agreement'? What do you get out of this deal?"

"That is between the Wegome and myself." the youkai said quietly, plucking at a blade of grass and deliberately ignoring the growl that was rising in his younger brother's throat.

"Like hell it is! Asking you to keep me here for an entire week is a pretty big favor, Sesshoumaru! Now just what the hell did she offer you in return? And don't say you're doing this out of the kindness of your heart, because we both know that you don't have one!"

"What are you working yourself up for?" Sesshoumaru replied, ignoring the question entirely and sounding quite bored as he plucked at another blade of grass. "I'm not here to fight you. The Wegome was very specific about that. My initial plan was to simply rip both of your legs off, but she wouldn't agree to those terms…" he said with a sigh.

"Sesshoumaru…." Inuyasha snarled, beginning to lose his temper. "What did she-"

"Ramen." the youkai stated matter-of-factly.

"Ramen? My Ramen? She's bargaining with my Ramen?"

"Hai." Inuyasha was silent for a moment, his temperament hanging somewhere between indignant sulking and serious contemplation. Finally, he looked over at his nii-san and said simply,

"I told you it was good."

~ 

On day three, Inuyasha asked, 

"So…how's that little kid doing?"

"Rin-chan?"

"No, asshole, the other ningen brat that follows you around!"

"Fine. She's fine."

"No more spots?"

"Heavens no. They were gone ages ago."

"Hmph." Inuyasha was silent for a moment, before continuing. "Speaking of brats, Souta says 'Hi'."

"Ah! Souta… Tell him that I also said 'hello.'" Sesshoumaru actually sounded pleased. Inuyasha shrugged.

"If I remember. And while we're still on the subject of whelps-"

"No. Absolutely not." Sesshoumaru said firmly, staring Inuyasha down with the hardest, coldest look he could muster.

"HEY! You don't even know what I was going to ask!" the hanyou whined in protest.

"Inuyasha, I don't even want to hear your name and whelp in the same sentence, unless someone is saying "Inuyasha is acting like a stupid whelp," in which case I'd be inclined to agree with them. Higurashi-san and I have an agreement, the Wegome was put onto the medicines for a reason, and now I don't want to hear another thing about it!"

"That's not what I was going to ask! Incidentally, I wouldn't bother to ask you or Higurashi-san for permission anyway! That's between me and the Wegome! Kagome! Shit! You stupid asshole, you've got me doing it now!" he swore, punching his brother on the shoulder. "No, what I need to know is how to keep a certain pesky brat away from me and my mate when we're trying to…to, uh, spend some time together, without killing said brat, because whenever I threaten to do that, my bitch gets angry and _I'm_ the one who usually ends up with all the bruises! I just figured that you'd be the one to ask, since you claim to be an expert on the subject." Inuyasha grumbled uncomfortably. 

"Oto-chan," Sesshoumaru said quietly, unable to mask the amusement in his voice. "Are you asking for my advice?" Inuyasha shifted in his seat for a moment, then looked intently up at the older youkai. 

"Yeah, well, stranger things have happened…" 


End file.
